The Erhardt Line
by Yeahmyname
Summary: Milena is a Grimm born and raised in Europe, she is soon to be enlisted in the service of a Royal as her family has for generations. When her father offers a chance to travel to America, she reluctantly joins him along with the few members from her family who are selected to live in Portland, Oregon for a little over a year. A few things in Milena's life will change forever.
1. Control

Do you ever

get the feeling

that this life

isn't yours?

That you have

no control?

That everyone

around you is

living, and

You're just

breathing.

Watching.

Waiting.

For what?

\- S.J.B

It was easy to get lost in the heat of fury, lost in every second of adrenaline that dove itself through Milena Lachel's system as she stood panting at the edge of the small town. Her group had been assigned to the town somewhere deep in the Black forest, the location not as important as what resided deep in the foliage. Behind her, Milena could hear the shouts and shrieks of her companions mingling together with their pray to create a cacophony that grated against her bones, feeding the shifting tide of darkness she forced away.

It would be easier to let go, to join her family in the play behind her but the girl took one step after another away from the town, her erratic breaths evening out as she took a few moments to rest. Her face felt sticky, half of her hair plastered to her head, her pony tail swinging with more weight than usual. The extra grams did nothing to ease the exhaustion Milena felt deep in her bones, just as her shuddering breaths had nothing to do with her physical excursion.

_Just breath Milena. _She took another shuddering breath, trying to calm herself. _It's okay. _

A branch cracked a few feet away from the girl, a sound that immediately brought the curved blade she held to a ready position with an ease bred from hours of practice. _Monster._ Milena recognized, inhaling the scent of smoke and the coppery tag the breeze carried her way. A splash of liquid glistened a deep black on the broken branches of a low growing tree, glinting in the firelight. _Something large has been through here. _Milena felt herself stiffen, creeping forward on quiet feet, hands shaking as a new wave of adrenaline coursed through her veins. It was already wounded and based on the position of the blood on the leaves, it had been wounded below the hips, most likely a knee.

Wiping her eye clear of her own stinging sweat, Milena studied the newly made path with tired eyes, not acknowledging that her hand came away red. _Someone on my team might have gotten injured. _She considered, turning the thought over in her head. _They might be too weak to call for help._ A terrified scream rose over the overall dim of the town and the abrupt silence of it a moment later sent her walking into the cover of the trees more than her rational thought.

The trail was easy enough to follow, snapped branches and deep uneven footprints pressed into the relatively undisturbed forest floor allowed her to track it with relative ease. In a few short minutes, Milena could hear its ragged breath and a minute after that she could see it.

It was tall, almost 2 meters, hand to its knee as it limped through the brush. It either didn't care that Milena had tracked it or it hadn't noticed the girl yet. Knowing that her long blade was ill suited for fighting in the close quaters of the trees, Milena sheathed her long blade and drew two knives.

It barely even turned before the first sank deep into it's uninjured knee. Sprinting forward, Milena drew her knee back before allowing the leather clad joint to crack against the back of it's head, sending it's face crashing into the ground below. The fight was over before it even had time to release the scream of pain Milena heard when she flipped it over onto its back and the knife she pressed to its neck immediately silenced the beast.

Licking her lips, Milena readjusted her blade to an angle that would allow the wesen before her a quick death. In a single second, the woge had faded away, leaving a bleeding man underneath her. She didn't know what made her pause; her Mother would have done the deed minutes before when she followed him, the decision easy, her actions confident and without a doubt in her mind afterward.

Milena knew what would happen if she but twitch her hand. Blood would spray from underneath the wesen's delicate skin, coating her already stained leather armor with a fresh shade. Gurgling, her prey would thrash on the ground, staring at her like the horror of a nightmare had incarnated itself with her entire existence. No one in her family would have even hesitated, their instincts running on overdrive, eager to kill the beasts they lusted after. Milena hated that she hesitated, loathing the very voice that told her this was wrong.

She flinched at the fear in the eyes of the man beneath her, reading the object terror she saw dancing in this man she held at her mercy. He had a right to fear her, had a right to expect everything down to the exact detail. He might not know the exact orders her superiors had trained her to follow in this type of situation but he knew what to expect of her, the bloodstained beast above him. He had been told the legends about her kind since childhood and here was his nightmare finally made flesh and blood, ready to inflict punishment, _vengeance _upon him because that was who she was, who she had been raised to be.

That was the only problem. He didn't know her.

Milena growled deep in her throat, removed the beautifully crafted blade away from his neck and took a step back. The man cowering on the ground looked at her in disbelief. One of her kind, allowing prey to slip through their fingers willingly? The deed was unheard of. Before she could change her mind or attack him, the man was on his feet, adrenaline allowing him to limp away with two brutalized knees; running away from the reaper that had almost delivered his life to Hades. Milena watched his havoc retreat with sad, ancient eyes, feeling every ache and pain on her sore body catalog itself in her mind.

_Run before someone finds what I have done._

She stiffened as a knife touched her bare throat. _Too late._

"I will give you one chance to complete your requirements properly." The familiar voice wrapped around her tense muscles like an adhesive. After a moment the weapon was removed, the women holding it stepped into the younger woman's view. She was older than Milena by many years, their features similar and obviously related. The woman jerked her sharp chin, replacing her knife to a sheath strapped to her muscular arm. "Go."

Milena shuddered, raising her hands to cover her ears however, the deed was done and her body was more than willing to comply. It was easy, far to easy to get lost in the small moments, far to easy to submit to the tidal wave of darkness lurking in her soul. A small smile replaced the grimace of pain as her feet began to fly through the darkened woods after her quarry. He was wounded, she made sure of that, the scent of his heady blood excited the darkness sliding beneath her own skin, the fluid splashing against the ground, the leaves, leading her straight to him.

She could feel the women at the back of her mind, feeding her a steady stream of encouragement that made her run faster than any regular human being. The wesen she had foolishly released made the mistake of looking over his shoulder as he retreated. Milena was no longer present in her mind, the mercy so easily given a simple moment ago was gone. She was a creature from the man's nightmare and would live up to the name.

His screams were soon heard over the tree tops, winning a smile from the women from where she stood back in the small clearing before. "Enjoy yourself Milena." She whispered before turning on her heel and stalking back to where they had made camp the night before.

x

Eyes drooping from exhaustion, Milena dragged herself and the body, or what was left of it, to her home camp. She had made several stops along the way, heaving what was left of her meager meals out of her stomach and trying to settle her reeling mind. _She made me do it again. _The worst part was that Milena liked it. Her hands shook, a thick coating of the man's dried flesh had crusted itself to her hands, leaving a rubbery feel that Milena did the best to ignore.

In a couple of hours, she would be in a car and in a couple of days she would receive orders that would drag her to another place with other monsters and she would hunt again. The girl dropped the body a moment before her knees met the ground. It was hard to breath, hard to think. _Breath Milena. _She took one breath after another, hands gripping the damp ground beneath her. _I don__'t want to do this- _she remembered the shiver of pleasure the sound of his breaking bones produced, her own laughter as he babbled, screamed, the warm wet splashes of red, so much red-

_Stop. _Milena took another shuddering breath, forcing herself not to gag. _Get up._ Her body didn't obey the order and Milena gritted her teeth. _Get up Milena. Get up. _She put on foot underneath her, groaning as pain flashed through the bruised limp. _Get up. _The girl took another breath before gripping the body's leg again, heading in the direction of the camp.

Dragging the body back was a necessity. If the women didn't see it, she would ask Milena to hunt again and that was an outcome the girl would not be able to survive.

The sun would rise soon and they would be moving out when dawn first lightened the sky. Milena knew in her heart they would not wait for her, no matter who's daughter she was. Either you regrouped or you were left behind. She entertained the thought of being abandoned by the group, of being left in the wilderness to die or make it alone. It would be a fitting end for the thing trapped in her skin, beating in her heart. For a second she wanted to stop, to fight the vary thing by killing its source but she forced one foot after another, trudging back to the others.

A twig snapped behind her. Milena didn't allow herself to be fooled, deftly drawing her knife with well practiced movements and blocked the thrush from another blade, which revealed itself to be a stick.

She flicked her blade upward, meeting the base of a throat underneath a familiar grinning face. "Ruisseau," Milena breathed, not dropping the knife, "prepare to die." A sharp tip of a longer blade touched the middle of her back, making her freeze.

"Meme de vous cousine." A voice whispered behind her.

Milena grinned and dropped her knife. She made the mental shift and spoke in French, "You two are getting better." The blond haired, blue eyed girl in front of her squealed in happiness, scooping up her knife and danced around the girl who was two years her senior. Another girl came out from behind Milena.

She was tall, six feet of pure muscle and armed to the teeth with an assortment of blades, knives, guns and poison bottles to coat them all. Black hair coupled with dark brown eyes made her intimidating to most and look nothing like the sister prancing around their captive. "Morning to you cousin." She whispered in perfect French. "We were not expecting you."

Milena swallowed thickly, gesturing to the body beneath her feet. "She sent me on another kill."

Her cousin lowered her knife, shrugging. "You should feeling honored." She shot a well suffered glance at Ruisseau as her sister danced around them. "Ruiss, stop." The younger girl pretended not to hear and instead studied the body.

Ruisseau stooped, squinting at the tattered corpse. "Is that a Eisbiber?"

The older girl cracked a half smile, reserved only for decapitations and her little sister. "That's a Blutbad."

The smaller girl blushed and even Milena smiled. "Go easy on her Lilith, she's still learning."

"That makes no excuse." A deep voice rumbled. All three girls watched as another person revealed himself. He was a stout figure, about 5'5 with muscular forearms and an air that showed he knew how to use them. Pale scars marked their way across his skin, the most noticeable being a deep cut that ran along the ridge of his nose. A gnarled nose, probably broken and re-broken in his training, had not healed well, twitched as he drew a deep breath.

Staring him down with annoyance that bordered on contempt, the youngest girl quickly wiped the blush from her cheeks. "You should be at your post Hundjager."

"Your Aunt has sent for you to return as well." The older man growled, flashing his teeth. The primal noise stopped when Lilith drew her large battle ax and twirled it, studying the brutal weapon with ideal fascination. Being the same age as Milena meant nothing to the tall girl. She had created her own record within the last few years, having a large unstated blood thirst no hunt seemed to quench. Lilith's dark eyes met the man's.

"If you speak to any Grimm like that again, I will have your tongue and find someone who can appreciate your broken nose on a plaque." The Hundjager broke the stare, fear in his eyes. Many wesen who died screaming at her feet saw no compassion or mercy in her gaze.

With barely a whisper, her ax met the man's throat. No one had see the weapon deviate from the complex pattern the girl had been weaving and in a single heartbeat the girl had her prey trapped against a tree. Her expression did not change, the ideal fascination at odds with the fire suddenly burning in her eyes. "I didn't hear you."

His voice shook. "Yes, I understand."


	2. Blood and Loyalty

Lilith didn't smile, leaning into her ax until the wesen's breath grew labored.

"We should return to camp." Milena interrupted. She had seen her cousin play this game. She did not want to see the Hundjager's blood on her armor later. "If my mother sent a foot soldier..."

"We're moving out." Ruiss rasped. The younger girl had drawn a knife on reflex and was twirling the weapon between her fingers as Lilith pinned the creature to the tree. She and her sister shared a taste for blood but she knew better than to disobey her aunt. No one crossed Milena's mother, not even for a little fun.

Lilith reluctantly stepped away from the creature and replaced the ax across her back. With a gait that was more of a stalk, the tall girl soon disappeared in the direction of their camp. Rubbing his neck, the man glanced at Milena and flinched when a knife impaled itself a few millimeters away from his face. Ruiss did not have her sister's control over her facial expressions, allowing the creature to see the blood lust usually hidden underneath the otherwise innocent face.

"I suggest you return to your post." The younger girl snarled. Sighing, Milena turned away and began to drag the body again. She heard the Hundjager's wild retreat, one that she assumed to be in a fairly fearful state if Ruiss' satisfied expression was anything to go by. Ruisseau retrieved and sheathed the ancient dagger before grasping the side of the body, helping to haul Milena's bloody trophy back to camp. Lilith had already disappeared into the brush and Milena knew she would warn the others of their approach, for their safety. Sneaking up on their camp, enemy or foe, would be a mistake.

"Too think, a _wesen_ trying to order _me_." Milena watched as Ruiss' young face twisted with a mixture of disgust and hatred. She had been initiated three years ago and had easily killed over three hundred wesen in that time. The girl had a lot of anger and only foolish people blamed her father for that.

Milena hardly listened to the girl as she ranted, trying to procure a reasonable excuse as to why the woman found her so far from the action. Stomach churning at the possibility of another intervention and yet another _talk_ about responsibility, Milena growled softly to herself. Ruiss' blue eyes flickered to her cousin's ruffled appearance to the dead body and back again. "You made it quick."

Milena didn't miss the note of disappointment in the younger girl's voice and resisted the urge to groan. "Yeah."

"They don't deserve mercy Milena."

"I know."

Unlike Milena, Ruiss liked to take her time with her kills, preferring the delicate fighting techniques of the knife rather than the sword, as Milena had chosen, or ax, as her sister did. While Lilith wanted pain and broken bones, Ruiss wanted blood and time to play with her prey. The only thing they both enjoyed together was pain and absolute terror they inspired in their victims. Both of them had proven themselves Erhardt through and through.

Lilith and Ruisseau had a reason for their bloodlust, a reason to make every creature they hunted pay for the dept owed to their small family. Milena attempted to feel the same hated when she stood above the creatures, feel the sheer joy her family promised her in a kill but she didn't enjoy torture. She could get lost in the haze of battle and struck down those who raised a hand against her or any other but when her prey was crawling away, innocent, having done nothing wrong except for being alive, she hesitated.

Ruiss' face still wore a pissed expression but did not push her cousin any further. Sunlight had just peaked the mountains when they stumbled into camp. Most of the family had gathered in a group, the wesen who had been deemed trustworthy ringed the outskirts, more than willing to stay away from the Grimms. Lilith already stood before a woman, dark eyes cast downward out of either fear or respect Milena couldn't tell. Expressions were always hard when it came to the tall girl. Another Grimm caught the attention of the women and Milena unconsciously tensed when she turned to face them.

Brown eyes that bordered on black stared at the girls, filled to the brim with hundreds of different emotions no one could really name until her face registered them. Her eyebrows were thick and oddly sophisticated and they usually remained relaxed over her eyes, a facial trick that wesen and people alike fell for. It was frightening what a kind face could hide. Her leather armor matched Milena's; coated with gore from the previous night's hunt and as the dim light from the horizon grew brighter, Milena realized that some of the fluid still glistened faintly, not quite dry.

Her demeanor might have been relaxed but this woman, who stood in a circle of experienced Grimms, had killed more wesen than all of them combined. Every ridged line of her body spoke of her hard life, her eyes reading every detail of the person who dared to meet them. Lilith had been right to avert her gaze, an action Ruisseau and Milena repeated when the woman turned her attention on them.

The action was not missed by their patron. "Look at me."

Both girls glanced at each other before obeying the command. Basic rule number one; you didn't cross Valian Lachel. The older woman stared at them for a moment before looking their appearance over.

"Thank you Ruisseau for helping Christuf with the Blutbodin last night." Valian purposefully spoke in German, the tongue having been Christuf's first and only language. The older boy dipped his dark haired head in assent at Valian's words before stalking to one of the hundjagers ringing the small camp, snapping out an order.

Ruiss hesitated as she silently translated the praise before swelling up in pride. Valian smiled slightly, looking the girl up and down. The younger Grimm was coated in blood, perhaps even more so than others in the group. Switching back to the girl's native tongue, French, Valian pressed on. "Just keep in mind Ruisseau, bleeding them dry takes up time, time we sometimes don't have."

The girl had to stop herself from flinching at the warning, an action no Grimm would miss, before she respectfully bowed her head. "I will act upon your advice Aunt."

"Good." Ruiss kept her head bowed as she joined the others in the group, standing close to her sister. Valian stared at Milena before looking her up and down as well. Milena met her mother's intimidating gaze, seeing the carefully calculated emotions shift across her face. The older woman was one of few words, the phrases she spoke and the orders she gave were not to be taken lightly. Orders she now yelled at the group behind her. "Tear down the tents, sand the fires. We move out in ten."

Actions confident, the group moved out to their designated chores that had been previously assigned. They would be ready to move in less than five minutes. Milena stayed where she stood as Valian studied both the corpse and her only daughter. The brown eyes saw as Ruiss' had seen, a quick death with little to no mutilation of the body the girl currently held in a white knuckled grip. Disappointment flashed over her otherwise inexpressive face.

"Milena," Valian said her name softly, "you are an Grimm but more importantly you are an Erhardt."

Sagging her shoulders, Milena mentally prepared herself to receive _the talk_ from her mother.

"You belong to a long line of survivors; I know you don't enjoy this but I promise one day you'll understand. When you wake up, you'll understand." Valian took a few steps forward and grasped Milena's shoulder.

The contact only lasted a few moments. Looking into her mother's eyes, the young Grimm summoned the courage to speak. "We are glorified slaves Mum."

Valian tightened her grip to the point where Milena grunted in pain before releasing her hold. "Our legacy is one of blood and loyalty." That phrase ran in the family, passed from one generation to the next. The Grimms of the Erhardt line protected those who were loyal to their family and secured secrets, for a price of course. "Once you've awakened, you'll be able to partake in the Trials and everything will make sense."

But their history remained. _Loyalty born of blood. _More than one Royal wanted Valian to come into their service however, the women remained aloft, allowing younger Grimms to find jobs within the Royalty of Europe.

The Trials; a petty audition that riled Milena's anger. Every Grimm born into one of the seven Grimm families was expected to complete them when they came of age. After centuries of being slaves to the Royal families, Milena was expected to crawl back to them after completing her training decide which one she would throw her lot with and how far she was willing to run with them.

Royals played petty political games and often dug their own graves because of it. Every one of them had need of a Grimm of the Erhardt line, one who had been trained with the arts of keeping a victim alive for several months to procure the truth or hunting down a secret within a day.

Milena gritted her teeth. _Royals want nothing more but to have us under their heels again. _Her vary being rebelled against the idea. _I__'m not property. I want more from this life than being someone else's pawn._

It was a decision that would never sit well with any Royal or Grimm. Valian watched her daughter for a moment more before pointing a finger to a pit near the edge of camp. "Dump your toy in with the rest. Ruiss and Lilith will cover your end."

Milena waited in a carefully planned silence as her mother moved away before heading to the edge of camp as instructed. She had leaned years before to confirm she had been dismissed before she carried out an order. If she missed a command, she paid for it later, either in blood on a mission or a few extra chores at camp.

Body shaking from a combination of fear and exhaustion, she almost missed the older man a few years older than her guarding the freshly dug pit. His gray eyes glanced at the girl before returning to the forest around them, forever watchful. Her body tensed despite her fatigue and she felt an all to familiar mixture of anger and wariness rise through her at the sound of his voice. "How goes the day Blue?"

Blue was a nickname he had given her years ago. Few people were allowed to call her that. "Like any other Ficke."

Happy go lucky personality, lovable smile and a huge heart, the man was a completely different person than Christuf. Half of the people those two worked with didn't believe that they were brothers.

"I heard differently." Ficke's eyes met hers, concern showing in their depths. "What did Val make you do this time?"

The girl tightened her grip on the body and hurled it into the pit with little more than the necessary force. Turning away, Ficke pretended to miss the motion. "Rough night then?"

As her custom, Milena didn't respond, walking away from the pit and the smell of death emitting from it. Ficke had always gotten along with everyone in the family with a smile on his lips and a joke soon to come. In their bleak life, everyone needed a little joy and he was more than willing to supply one however, at that moment, Milena didn't want to see what her life had become.

The man sighed. "Another time then Blue." The chug of an overflowing gas can filled the absence of sound as Ficke returned to his job, dumping the contents over the bodies placed in the pit.

It was a short walk from Camp and in an attempt to make it longer; the Grimm slowed her footsteps until she stopped, relatively alone in the dark woods surrounding her. There was another custom of hers to complete. _Three _seconds. She stared at her gore-covered hands, watching the dried flesh flake away from her fingernails. _Three seconds to forget._

One.

_"On my count." Valian raised her hand. "We leave nothing alive tonight."__Ruiss and Magda's howls as they chased down a middle aged man, their knives gleaming in the moonlight. Lilith killing a wesen looking her own age, a savage smile on her lips. Christuf swinging his flanged mace, his face emotionless as the screams and wet snaps of breaking bones were absorbed into the woods._

Two.

_A girl cowering against a wall, her face voguing between a wolf and a very young face, staring at Milena with terror as the Grimm stepped over the body of another blutbad who had been protecting the door. "Please." Her voice shook as she tried to drag herself away on a twisted leg. "Please."_

Three.

Milena walked away from the memories, accelerating enough to run through the trees as the smell of burning flesh flooded from the clearing behind her. Breathing labored, she allowed herself to forget the faces, forget the guilt, forget the bodies, the screams and tears that would haunt her nights to come. For now she had peace and in that moment, she was relieved.


	3. Stories

When she returned to camp, Lilith and Ruisseau had finished packing. Without a word, they handed Milena her items, joining where the others had gathered. A small Blutbad pack had been no trouble for them. A Royal had wanted them eliminated, to set an example of what was to happen when a wesen crossed onto or through her land. By no means quiet, the Grimms clapped each other on the shoulders, praised others of their skill and a while later, boasted of their own. Her blond hair flying as she twisted through the air, Ruiss eagerly described her kills, even drawing one of her knives to maim imaginary ghosts. Lilith and Chistuf remained silent as they stood in a circle of admirers, amusement dancing in their gazes as others acted out their kills for them.

"Mile!" The Grimm barely had time to turn before she was tackled around her waist. Repressing her instinct, Milena stopped her hands from reaching for her weapons while her attacker grinned, white teeth startling against her dark brown skin.

"Magda." Milena's reply wasn't enthusiastic.

The girl didn't notice. "You have to tell me about last night!" Her light brown eyes sparkled. "Every little detail."

The Grimm couldn't help but smile back, Magda's mood was infectious and where she traveled, her sister Renata was not far behind.

Magda and Renata; sisters who were exceptionally skilled in storytelling. It mattered little to their audience if it were their kills or someone else's, only that the story be turned into legion by their silver tongues.

Dark skinned, covered in black armor and a little over 5'6, both of them were pretty, strong and well on their way to making a name for themselves. They had been adopted by four years ago by Agatha Schafer when the older women found them and their murdered mother as she had been hunting a wesen in Africa. Utterly alone, well on her way to starving and frantic, Magda had tried to defend her sister after her mother had died. Agatha often retold the story of having to subdue the girls after rescuing them.

The older women already had three sons and while Christuf, Benard and Ficke were wonderful, she had always wanted girls. The sisters had been born from a seemingly regular African family and when they had both shown they held the sight, Agatha had been at a loss. Their training had taken place immediately after witnessing their first monster.

"Pretty please."

"Fine." There was no chance of resisting Magda's doe eyed plea. Many years in the life of a Grimm, even if she was only in training, had given Milena quite a record. She had a choice between recent or a few years old. Savoring the hungry look on her fellow Grimm's face, Milena began in a low voice to prevent anyone from overhearing. "Five months ago, we received word of a monster who had been terrorizing a small village in Germany." Another girl with dark skin joined their small circle and pressed closer to hear the story. Giving Magda a small hug, the newcomer eagerly motioned for the older girl to continue. _Renata never could wait. _Milena gave her fellow Grimm a nod before continuing.

"Having taken three victims already, the near-by Royal promised a good pay off if we removed the problem and a few days after arriving, we found a few wesen who fit the profile. I was assigned to interrogate a Lowen, Lillith was told to question a Spinnetod and Mom enjoyed spending time with a Schakal."

"Who was it?" Renata preferred hand to hand combat and had requested an unusual choice of weaponry. Artificial steel talons covered her hands during most of the day, hands she now wrung in nervous anticipation. The girl always wore those leather gloves during a hunt, enjoying punching and tearing her prey without getting any of her ten digits dirty. Milena was considering making a pair for herself. _Renata is going to love telling this one._

"None of them."

Magda was the first to react. "What?"

The Grimm shrugged, smirking. "We made sure no one found their bodies but none of them were the wesen we were looking for." She leaned closer, taking exaggerated glances around them as if telling a huge secret. "Turns out the Royal wanted to 'recruit' a few Grimms from the Erhardt line so he tried to trap us in his territory." Milena leaned back; pretended to inspect her bloody dagger hooked in her belt. "A small time Royal, easy enough for three Grimms to kill."

"I thought killing a Royal was impossible!" Renata was almost jumping with excitement at the prospect from this story.

"If they are a Bastard child, they usually don't get the protection the others do." Milena smirked. "This one just happened to be a bastard."

Magda held her sniper rifle close at hand, voice almost squeaking. "We have a story to tell tonight!" For a Grimm whose job was to pick off or wound difficult wesen at a distance for her teammates to easily take out, Magda was one of the most hyper people Milena knew. That and Magda was one of the few Grimms who preferred a gun to the traditional medieval weaponry most of them carried.

The two had been pressed hard since their family died and they were a pair of people Milena didn't mind being around. Despite everything life had thrown at them, the sisters tried to look on the bright side of everything. Until they reached their limit.

Always alert to their environments, the girls fell silent as their teammates quieted, looking in the direction to see what had caused the sudden silence. Valian paused a moment, making sure she had all of their attention before allowing a slow smirk to reveal itself.

"Move out." Quiet words.

As one, the pack of Grimm roared and raced from the clearing, supplies strapped securely to their backs. A deadly shadow, Milena's mother lead them, auburn hair flashing in the morning light as she wove through the trees. Grins of wild abandonment were worn on every face, Milena included, as the race continued. Clean mountain air filled their lungs, refreshing as it was to run through the icy cold river that barred their path. Taking one obstacle after another, the exercise allowed no thoughts to invade Milena's mind, her body working on autopilot as they continued through the ancient wood. No one stayed quiet, howling, whooping and jeering to make themselves know. By the end of the run, every living creature that remained alive would know that they passed through.

In the small moments of the run, that space created by sheer abandoment of any though of their actions, Milena felt a jagged grin spread across her face. No more hiding, creeping through the bushes, looking over her shoulder for a threat; in these moments she was free to simply _be_. She felt the group around her shift, their hearts beating in time with her own; she could almost taste their joy as they bounded through the trees, howling, jeering at anything that stood in their way. Milena had never known anything but fear for as long as she could remember, a caution that Valian had instilled in her, lessons that prolonged her life but kept her wary of any mistake that could result in her death. But in these small moments, she was free of the monsters dogging her steps, the dreams that haunted her waking hours, free to exist without any who would bar you from that privilege.

Far to soon, the group slowed and silence once again claimed them. Another mile passed before they finally stopped altogether, breathing hard from their run. At Valian's motion a man Milena knew by his face but not by his name stepped forward, hands cupped to his mouth. A bird call emitted from the calloused instrument and into the clearing below. The group waited, some not daring to breath while others tightened the grip on their chosen weapons.

A few seconds after the initiated call, an answer replied. Letting out a collective breath, the Grimms rushed into the clearing below, grins returning as six neatly parked vehicles and one trailer came into view; right where the Grimms had hidden them a week before. Not needing an order, everyone stripped themselves of their supplies, placing them beside the trailer.

Cursing, Renata raced passed Milena and quickly started unloading one of the many bags on to the trailer, placing each tent, blanket and other supplies into their designated area. Ruiss paused beside her older cousin, nudging Milena's shoulder with a smile on her lips. "God I hate that job but watching other people hate it," She nodded her head in a so-so direction. "it kind of makes up for it."

The young Grimm grinned. "Can't argue with that." The chores were usually divided among the underage or youngest people that happened to be in the group. Having been on the crew that _unloaded _the trailer, Milena could relax as Renata, Lillith and a few others packed everything back up. A sly grin replaced her previous expression as a thought surfaced.

Ruiss did a double take on the older girl's face. "Oh I know that look."

Milena tried to kill her smile. "What look?"

"The look you get when you think of a plan."

_Damn, she knows me too well. _The older Grimm tilted her head, smirk growing again. "Wouldn't it be a shame if a few things weren't put in the right place?"

A smile to match Milena's flashed Ruiss' teeth in the sunlight. "I believe there is a punishment for that yeah?"

"Something about 'the team that loads things in the wrong spot has to reload for the next four times'."

"Seems legit."

Without hesitation, both girls surged forward, heading directly for the door on the side of the trailer. Only a few people actually knew about the opening. Having been on a few high-priority hunts and in many tight situations, Milena had been given the information. Ruiss found out about it because she had been bored and sentenced to protect the trailer because she made a mistake on a job.

Tiny and with no handle, the opening was hardly noticeable and couldn't be opened but like many items in a Grimm's possession, looks could be deceiving. Milena pressed in a small panel on the right half of the door and opened the hatch. Poking her head inside, she motioned to Ruiss the coast was clear before stepping inside herself.

Weapons lined the walls, ancient knives, swords and heavy maces intermixed with a variety of sniper rifles, shotguns, ak47s and other toys. Poisons were kept in special compartments below the floorboards in case anything should happen to the trailer while in transport. While originally designed for wesen, the contents were deadly to any living thing if their delicate glass casing cracked and formulas mixed together.

Those items didn't interest the girl's, their attention drawn to a better item. If there was one thing everyone cared about after an outing, it was fresh clothing. No one liked sitting in what could turn out to be an ten hour car ride in leather armor, sticky with blood from the previous day. Until they reached a safe house with a shower, everyone was going to be changing into their cleaner clothing.

_And if the loading team was to say, dirty said clothing... _The wicked grin returned.

The younger girl immediately tossed the pile to the ground as Milena grabbed a neatly pack, relatively unused inflatable boat cord. _Ready? _She mouthed.

Before Ruiss could respond, a shadow filled the entrance way of the trailer. Milena didn't think, her body moving on instinct as adrenalin flooding her system. She pulled the cord even as a voice, one that belonged to Renata cried out "Sabotage!" and tackled Ruiss out the side door. Kicking the small door shut, the Grimm quickly turned to her cousin to see if she was okay. The younger girl was laughing too hard to get up, eyes half moons of happiness.

"Di-Did you see her face?!"

With all the sound they were making, it didn't take long to find the pranksters. The group who had been loading the trailer gathered around. Lilith had already put away her weapons, her brown eyes sparkling with rare emotion; happiness. Ruiss launched herself from the ground at Lilith and the two went rolling through the dry dirt road, laughing and squealing as they fought to pin one another. Renata did the same to Milena and soon had the older Grimm pinned underneath her.

"Say uncle." Renata warned.

Milena was almost laughing to hard to reply "Never!"

A smile cracked the dark girl's face, revealing startling white teeth before she theatrically gathered spit in her mouth. Before the torture could commence, older Grimms separated the girls, dragging them to their feet. Valian was already there, standing as she surveyed the scene before her. No smile lifted her lips and the look in her eyes warned the girls not to speak.

"Would you care to explain what happened?" When the girl's kept their neutral silence, Valian shrugged then waved her hands, a signal that released the girl's from their captors' grips. "Good. Milena, Ruiss, since you have so much time on your hands, you may both load and unload the trailer for the next six hunts, do you understand?"

It was a light punishment to which both girls immediately replied,

"Yes Mam."

"Yes Mum."

"You have already wasted enough time." Valian motioned for the crowd to disperse. "Go and finish your jobs then get in a car. We have a long way to travel." When the older women had walked away, all four girls shared a smile before helping each other load the massive trailer. Once done, they distributed the clean clothes to their rightful owners and gratefully sank into a car lined in the caravan. Staring slow, an assortment of different vehicles followed one another down the winding mountain road, leaving the black smoke and bloody dirt as the only evidence the group was ever there.


	4. Chapter 6

When the van slowed, a shoulder nudged Milena awake from her gentle dozing. For the lack of daylight, her brain registered the passing of the day. It also acknowledged the night's temperature, making goose-flesh crawl over her arms after the young Grimm reluctantly stepped into the freezing night. The open door closed behind her and she watched, yawning, as down the line of cars every soul younger than twenty slipped into the night. Once empty of the younger Grimms, the cars would pull away from the side of the path and continue down the dirt lane. In less than a minute bend in the road made them vanish altogether, leaving only the smell of exhaust. Rubbing the sleep from their eyes, the eight odd teens gathered in a ragged circle, teeth chattering as they watched their teammates depart.

Some of teens Milena knew and some she did not. Lilith, Ruiss, Magda and Renata had all been to the camp before and didn't linger by the roadside for long. As they quietly slipped into the trees, the three other Grimms looked to Milena. She sighed and turned her feet in the right direction, knowing the others would follow. _I _am_ Valian's daughter._ Milena gritted her teeth together.

Their camp was built a couple of miles away from the road and well hidden. Like everything else, having two camps was a precaution against attack. Most people assumed that all Grimms would house together and that was their mistake. It they found one camp, the other Grimms then had a chance to organize themselves for a counter attack, tactical retreat or rescue attempt. Milena knew the way well enough she could have found the camp blind. If she wasn't lucky, some day she might have to.

Differences between the rank of the older hunters compared to the younger were evident as the small group trudged through the woods. Both Ruiss' and Lilith's eyes swept the trees around them, hands casually near their weapons and muscles at a half awareness. They breathed quietly and at times, they breathed as one. Milena's movements were a mirror image of theirs.

The other teens had a harder time staying silent. Twigs cracked through the silent woods, someone stumbled and a soft oath almost made Milena snap a reply to be quiet. Magda and Renata were better than most but they didn't temper their breathing or actively search for a threat. Stalking techniques didn't matter this deep in Grimm territory but the skill at which they traveled through the woods bothered Milena. Wesen already had sensitive smell; hearing and some (albeit rare) wesen could feel the vibrations through the ground. By the next day, many of the younger Grimms would be heading out on their next hunt, assigned to kill and while they might be under supervision of experienced hunters, if their skills weren't enough to conceal them from their prey, they would die.

Milena let out a heavy breath. How well they could stalk prey would not be an issue on the hunts the less experienced Grimms participated in. Most of them would be gone the next day, petty wesen on their schedule while she and other more experienced people would tackle the real jobs. Milena had been placed on the 'big job team' for two years now, the easy hunts that lasted little over a week replaced with hunts that, on average, lasted four months. Mastering the sword was only part of the job; the other half was filled with stress and careful planning.

"_Stalking is more important than killing the wesen." _Valian drilled the idea in their heads. _"I want to see you alive by the end of your mission. If you kill the wesen but die beside your prey, that mission is a failure."_

Easy practice included outings like the previous night, killing large groups of inexperienced wesen for money. Now that she was older, Milena was often given the planning portion of the hunt, learning to use her head now that she had honed her skill with the blade.

A load snap echoed through the quiet woods and instinct brought Milena to a crouch, left hand on her blade. After a few moments of stillness, she rose and resumed to walk, coming side by side with Lilith and Ruiss as they straightened before pressing on. Continuing through the thick woods, Milena forced herself to concentrate on the task of getting to the cabins. All the Grimms below the age of twenty had their own cabin space, a place they knew by heart because if nothing else the cabins ringing a small fire pit in the middle of nowhere, was secure, safe. It had been years since Milena had last seen her cabin.

Stepping clear of the woods, she had to fight from running to the place she had claimed years ago, barely retaining the calm pace she set. Ruiss gave a loud whoop and raced toward her room, Lilith rolling her eyes as she followed. Most of the younger Grimms copied Ruiss' move and rushed to their doors, groping for the key they had hidden from their last visit. Walking through the quickly dispersing crowd, she ignored the invitations to an after party by the younger kids and quietly slipped up to the front porch of her room.

From an outsiders viewpoint, the oaken cabin would seem intimidating, the ancient structure large, dark and everything but pleasant to look at. Bullet holes riddled the chipped, charred edges of the structure, complimenting the bars crossing the few windows whose glass was bullet proof. Matching twelve other houses spread across the clearing, the cabin she had claimed was not the prettiest picture. Milena gently stroked the wood and let out a breath as her chest suddenly loosened. It only took a moment to find the hidden key.

One story, lacking decorations and spotted with belongings she didn't need or have any sentimental value too, Milena felt herself relax. This was the place safety lived, the place where she learned who she was, the place were she learned how to defend her life against monsters that haunted her waking dreams.

It smelled different. Shutting the front door, the girl inhaled deeply, sank down the wall to sit on the floor. The air had a bitter metallic taste to it, one she faintly recognized but couldn't name. _What does it matter anyway?_ A long awaited smile broke over his lips. _I'm home. _

**I haven't done a disclaimer in a while so here it goes, I own nothing of Grimm. All the rights to the characters belong to NBC except those of my own making. **


	5. Chapter 7

Screams woke her. A shower, clean clothes and a small snack had left her quiet and content as her body eagerly slipped into sleep. Her clock had read 11:36 Pm and glancing at the time now, the red numbers formed 3:57 Am. Knowing a light wouldn't help her, Milena quickly placed her boots on her feet and grabbed the knife she kept by the door before sprinting out into the night.

As the sound again washed over the camp, the young Grimm felt her skin crawl and gooseflesh erupt over her arms. The sound was one of pure animal terror, a sound bleak of hope and forever lost in the darkness of a person's soul. It was no surprise the chilling wail lead her to the cabin she recognized as Ruisseau's and Lilith's. She threw open the door and searched the room until her eyes depicted shadows near the back of the cabin.

Pressed firmly against the oaken wall, Ruiss let loose another wail, tears streaming down her face as her small body rocked with sobs, the knuckles of her fists already bloody and raw from punching the ancient wood. The only thing that restrained girl from throwing herself at the wall again was her sister. Lilith's face was an emotionless mask as she held her sobbing sibling, enduring the blows from sharp elbows, knees and heels, resolutely holding Ruiss to protect her from herself. Milena flinched from hearing the blows make contact. Ruiss was not a weak girl.

Rushing forward, Milena dropped her weapon and held the blond girl's feet down as she wailed words Milena now recognized as French, both the sister's native tongue. "Momma, veuillez ne pas y aller! Lutter contre eux, les combattre!"

Lilith retained her deadly calm as she shouted to be heard over her sister. "Hold her arms." Milena received five punches to her arms, shoulders, even face, that left her the skin tingling as she completed the task. The youngest girl snarled as a rabid animal in a trap would, her eyes opened but not aware of her surroundings. Once secure, Milena watched as her older cousin placed her fingers on Ruiss' neck. The youngest girl screamed one last time before sagging, limp as a doll. Both girls sagged along with the third, the places Ruiss had hit throbbing with their heartbeats, promising bruises come daylight. It took a few seconds for Milena's heart to stop pounding, another minute to steady her breathing and by that time, Lilith motioned for her to pick up Ruiss' feet.

Gently as they could, the two girls carried their limp burden to her bed where Lilith slowly covered her sister with a blanket. The usually stoic girl hesitated before smoothing Ruiss' matted hair back, an oddly intimate moment that caused Milena to look away.

The young Grimm instead studied the walls of the cabin, a carbon copy of her own. Ruiss' side was covered in posters, most of them bright colors. All of them were hung hazardously, without pattern or problem as if Ruiss had literally thrown them at the wall to decide where they should be. _She probably did just that._

Bleak and bare, Lilith's didn't have anything on it, not one picture or even a tack. A few boxes rested by the foot of her bed, and by the looks of it, only one was half filled. Lilith had always been a minimalist. Milena turned back to the sisters, watching for a moment as Lilith stood by her sister's bedside, the intimate moment over. "She still dreams of that night?"

The elder girl didn't answer immediately, moving to sit on a chair opposite her little sister. She rubbed a hand across her face and Milena was struck by just how tired she looked. "Every night."

"At least she didn't have her knives."

The older girl didn't crack a smile. Milena still got the shivers thinking about the time Ruiss had slept walked with her knives. She had nearly killed Lilith when her sister attempted to disarm her. "Her night terrors have been getting worse Milena."

Nodding in agreement, she sank beside Lilith, sitting on a table as they watched Ruisseau sleep in peace for a second. The older girl rubbed her face again and uttered a bitter oath; small sparks of anger in her brown eyes. "It has gotten to the point where I've been taking the knives she normally sleeps with because I don't know whether or not she can be trusted."

Milena tried to imagine sleeping in the same room with Ruiss and didn't think she could live with the fear of receiving a knife to the back from her roommate. These cabins were suppose to be a refuge, protection and security during the days between battles, a home that, despite the chaos, would never change. If you couldn't rest in the only place on earth that offered peace, where would you go? "Did she do this on the hunt?"

"No. Ruiss always does better when she can shed blood-"

"Of those responsible."

Lilith sighed again, the bags underneath her eyes accented in the dim light. "I've been trying to prepare her for the day I go to complete the trials. She's gotten nothing but worse in the last few weeks."

A twinge of guilt bolted through Milena. She had forgotten Lilith was now old enough to be sent to the trials. That was to be her in little less then a year.

"She hasn't taken the news well." The older Grimm's voice was soft as Ruiss shifted in her bed. "I don't know what will happen when I leave."

"We will watch out for her."

"And who will comfort her? Do you want something to drink?" Lilith stood before Milena could reply and poured two cups of water from a near-by pitcher. The water tasted like the metallic air in Milena's cabin but the girl drank it anyway. Her cousin only held the glass, watching the liquid swirl back and forth.

"She has friends here." Lilith glanced at Milena when the younger girl spoke in accented French, a small attempt to comfort her. A few minutes passed before Lilith responded, her French soft in the near darkness.

"Yes. But Ruiss only finds relief from her night terrors when she spills blood. How long will it take for her to make that connection? How long will you have to wait for her to start killing not just wesen but people as well, simply because they are closer?" Her whispered words made translating for Milena difficult but the message was clear. Lilith stood, her face once more emotionless as she addressed her younger cousin in English. "Thank you for your help."

Knowing she had been dismissed, Milena nodded, stood and walked to the door. On her way out, she set the cup near the pitcher and hesitated by the entrance. Lilith had already sat in the chair again, staring at the only thing she had left in the world, bruises darkening her pale skin. What she said followed Milena as the girl made her way back to her cabin and they repeated themselves when she laid down in her bed, staring at the ceiling.

_How long will you have to wait? _Milena closed her eyes, feeling her expression mirror Lilith's. No matter how hard she tried, Lilith couldn't stop loving her sister, couldn't stop trying to help a girl whose memories were slowly driving her mad. _How long? _Milena squeezed her eyes shut, feeling tears leak beneath the lids.

_How long until you have to kill her?_


	6. Chapter 8

Morning came with the usual groans. Not speaking to anyone, Milena lead the small group through the woods, not commenting on the fact that Ruisseau had elected to stay behind. Lilith kept pace with her easily, stalking on the familiar path both of them knew by heart. While there was no threats this deep in Grimm territory, the tall girl still had a knife strapped to her side. Watching her eyes and body language, any trained Grimm could see that she was still hunting.

_Old habits are a bitch._ Milena mused while releasing a huge yawn. The six people left in the group would not talk about what had happened the night before. It wasn't the first time it had happened.

The mess hall came into view, looking foreboding in the early morning mist and as battle scarred as any of the ancient structures were expected to be. Giving several whoops, the younger children raced forward, pushing and shoving one another as a pack of dogs would. Magda and Renata laughed before racing after them, playfully shoving their way through the crowd. Only Lilith and Milena retained their original speed, content to arriving when they pleased. The old building offered heat, noise and mouthwatering smells. It took every ounce of Milena's training to calmly accept the eggs, ham, grapes and cheese from the servers, without devouring the food heaped onto her plate. The food stood no chance once she sat down at her usual table. Milena dug in, table manners forgotten in the midst of eating something that wasn't fast food or dried for preservation purposes. She barely acknowledged Lilith when the older girl sat beside her, slowly picking through her food.

In between inhaling her food, Milena managed to study her surroundings. Being one of the largest buildings, the mess hall was meant to host the Grimms, visitors and family, making the crowd gathered for breakfast rather diverse.

Agatha Schafer kissed her husband and smiled as he leaned close to whisper something in her ear. Being one of the best Grimms kept them apart for most of the year but the women tried to see her husband between working jobs. Renata and Magda fought for their adopted parent's attention, mimicking sword thrusts to their wide-eyed father until he raised his hands in surrender. Damitri Schafer, unlike his two sisters and mother, showed no signs of having the sight and had the strange luck of marring a woman who was a well known Grimm from another line. Their sons, Christuf and Ficke, sat side by side and smiled as they listened to their little sisters, occasionally making a comment.

Valian had contact all known Grimms from all around the world whether they be working for a Royal or not and it brought to perspective just how few Grimms were left in the world. At most, there were twenty people in the room who were Grimms and despite the divided loyalties; a few would choose to join missions Valian would offer after Breakfast. The rest would be shipping out at dusk, their political lives calling them back home. For now they greeted each other like old friends, gathering together in half circles to laugh, drink and eat like the old battle siblings they were.

Pounding on the main table caused the conversations to dim in the mess hall, everyone training their eyes on Valian as she stood from her seat. A man sat next to her, light brown hair neatly combed back and vibrant blue eyes sparkling in the dim light.

Lilith seemed puzzled, turning to her cousin. "When did your father arrive?"

Her food forgotten, Milena could only shrug. Like her cabin, she hadn't seen her father for years except when he decided to join a hunt with the main group. He primary job was to scout out new areas for Valian to expand her territory and recruit new allies. Him sitting in the mess hall was an oddity unto itself.

"As you all know, the mission last night was successful." The Grimm allowed a few second for cheering however, when she raised her hand, silence immediately settled. "We have several new missions that need to be completed. Agatha," The women stood at her name. "will be taking a small group to Austria. Anyone interested in this mission can see her for more details although I have offered a few names. Jachline, Zack, Mara, Kieth and Lilith, report to her after announcements."

After receiving nods from each of the people she named, Valian surveyed the room before clapped a hand on Milena's father. "Fredrick also has news of a mission. This one is to be extended to America."

Everything in the mess hall froze. Missions were usually preformed in one location or another and while Milena could claim she had been almost everywhere in Europe, Asia and Africa, no one she knew had ever gone to America. The Americas were unmarked territories, a place where wesen leaders of the rebellion resided and no known Royals had yet claimed rights to.

Valian didn't miss the subtle signs of shock. "What do we Grimms want most in life?" The question echoed in the silent room. "Safety? We can't walk the streets without seeing someone we are obligated to kill. A good meal? That costs money, money we earn from the cheap Royalty that would rather have us enslaved. And what about our children? How will them cope when it is their turn to carry the weight of a Grimm?" The women allowed a small measure of fury to leak through her expression.

"I have thought about this and I say I am tired. I am tired of fearing for my daughter, tired of fearing the monsters who work for the Royals to kill my heir." Valian stood straighter. "Knowing every risk, my husband hopes to find both allies and land that we can rule without having to battle the Royals every other month over claims. I am hopeful this plan will succeed." The leader looked over her troops, every line of her hard body showing her strength. She was a woman born to lead.

"I have decided to allow several young bloods to travel on this trip, the reason being simple. Any land we acquire will someday be manage by the next generation of leaders, your generation." Her powerful eyes swept the mess hall. "Magda, Christuf, Ficke, Milena, Ruisseau, Renata, Silas, and Brie. Report to Frederick after this meeting closes."


	7. Chapter 9

Packing took less than five minutes; Milena hadn't bothered to unpack the night before. Knowing that her teammates for the assignment would take longer, she sat on her old mattress, studying the ancient walls, older than her Grandmother's mother, to pass the time. So many people had lived in the same building and had been taught exactly as any Grimm should be; to survive.

Milena let out a heavy breath that wanted to be a sigh and allowed her body to flop down on the bed as she stared up at the ceiling. Scribbles by previous occupants lined the support beams. She couldn't read some of them due to age and others due to the languages the messages were inscribed in but they bought her a measure of peace. Years ago, she had written her own name; it was a foolish gesture but the five year old girl she had been wanted to be remembered and have her name not be lost in history. The sixteen year old girl sitting laying on the bed years later no longer cared about if she was going to be remembered.

"A legacy of blood and loyalty." She mouthed the words to the ceiling, hearing another's voice in her head. The only lasting impression she would obtain would be one of fear. A small smile spread across her face. The five year old wanted not be forgotten, the older knew better than to go down that path.

Her hand instinctively grasped the knife strapped to her side as a knock sounded on her door. "Come on Mile! We're waiting on you." The sound of Magda's irritated voice made the slight smile grow to as she stood.

"Coming." She hauled her backpack over her shoulder and started to walk towards the door only to pause by a thick column that held up the ancient structure. Milena allowed her fingertips to brush over the small scribble of her name, tracing the thick line that ran through it. Her natural instincts of preservation had kicked in when she turned eleven. She had destroyed the one thing that would tie her true name to the cabin. If she was a ghost, no one would be able to find her and to be a ghost, she couldn't have a name. It was better to remain forgotten, safer. People couldn't chase a ghost. _Better than being hunted _Milena reflected as she continued out into the open.

Leaving the old cabin, she locked the door and replaced the key to its original hiding place before jumping into the waiting vehicle. Milena listened quietly as the younger Grimms conversed loudly, electing to watch as the camping ground disappeared in the dense forest.

By sundown both camps would be deserted and she would be flying to the U.S.A.


	8. Chapter 10

The private plane hadn't taken long to load. Every Grimm pitched in, efficiently placing each package in its rightful place before waiting for the pilot to wave them inside. Milena strapped herself in near the back of the plane, watching the others carefully pile in after her. As always, Magda and Renata were the loudest, electing to sit in the middle seats where they could talk to anyone at any time. Christuf chose to sit next to his sisters, giving them a rare smile as they excitingly chattered on and, after a brief hesitation, Ficke sat down next to his brother.

A softened punch caused Milena to smile as Ruiss sat down beside her. "Thank you for waiting for me." The younger girl puffed, pale gold hair catching the light. "I always adore those who abandon me to speaking with people I don't know."

"Then you must love me." Milena shot back, kicking Ruiss' leg.

She crinkled her nose. "Was that sarcasm I detected Cousin? You english-"

"-part American."

"-small portioned American English woman, are so strange, sometimes I get tempted to see how fast your reflexes are."

Milena smile broadened as the last of the group entered the plane, occupying the remaining seats. "Like you could even hit me."

"I could." It would sound like a cocky claim coming from anyone else but Milena had seen Ruiss hunt before. Not the most pleasant of sights; the girl liked blood.

"Then what stops you? Could it be my winning personality?"

"More like your mère." Ruiss smiled at her cousin but Milena lost her own at the mention of Vailian.

"Good old Mum. Always looking out for me."

"Always looking for a target more like." Milena jumped at the deeper voice, hands automatically reaching for her side arm. Fredrick raised his hands in a false surrender, motioning to the seat across from his daughter. "Can I sit, oh mighty huntress?"

The girl pretended to consider it. "I suppose, but watch yourself, Mum doesn't like it when people sass her."

He smiled at that. "Then you obviously haven't met your mom in a good mood. Buckle up buttercup, we're shipping out in a few minutes."

Milena forced her muscles to stretch, smirking without humor at her father. "Where have you been Dad?"

"I'll show you when we arrive, eh Hunts. I promise you'll like it, it's just your type of spot." Only he could really see through her performances and he had raised her to act well. Being one of the few Grimms that survived without training, the trails and the untamed chaos of America, Fredrick was not a man to mess with. He was one of the few people Milena allowed herself to trust explicitly and he knew that. If he said she would enjoy the safe house, it meant he had picked the spot specifically with her talents in mind.

The fake smile eased and Milena reclined her chair, halfheartedly tracking Ruiss' movements. Night terrors did not bother Ruiss when she was traveling, only when she settled in one place for too long. "Night Da. Night Ruiss."

Ruiss only grunted but Milena heard Fredrick's smile rather than saw it. "Night Mile."

In minutes the plane lifted from the field and by that time, Milena was already gone.

"_Can you see me?" _

_Milena struggled for a decent sized breath, her lungs burning from the smoke Mama had told her not to smell. There had been a fire at the house and Mama had promised to be back soon. She was wearing her hunting armor when she hugged Milena so the girl knew she would come back tired and sore. Mama had promised to come back but there had been scary people with fire-sticks and masks and- _

_She cried out as a line of fire sliced down her cheek, ending just above her throat. _

_"Come on girl." The voice in front of her was low and held a sharp edge. Milena cringed as something cold and flat was slowly dragged across her cheek, keeping her eyes firmly shut as she made herself as small as possible._

_She shook her head and screamed in pain as his large hand raked the side of her face. His fingernails dug deeply into her flesh and he kept them there, tugging them to articulate his words. "Open your eyes." A hand gripped her shoulder, shaking her and Milena opened her mouth to scream- _

Ruiss' tired face was just inches from her own and Milena released a stressed breath, feeling herself shake from the vivid dreams. The plane was dark and quiet, warm yet cool enough to raise gooseflesh on Milena's skin even though a blanket she didn't remember having before covered her body. Sweat ran down her face and Milena swiped a trembling hand across her face. After a few attempts to calm herself the girl gave up, allowing herself to panic before attempting control again.

Minutes passed before Milena even felt like she was in control again, feeling adrenaline, terror and other unneeded emotions swirl through her. Ruiss quietly observed from beside her, knife and a sharpening stone sitting in her lap. At her cousin's questioning glance she explained, "It calms me." Milena nodded, continuing to take deep breaths, hoping that no other Grimm was awake. Her father snored peacefully across from the pair, Magda, Christuf, Ficke, Renata, Silas, and Brie seemed to be doing the same in an assortment of different positions.

"Was I loud?"

Ruiss didn't seem surprised by the question. "No, I woke you before you-" She stopped when Magda shifted, murmuring something in Swahili. Both girls waited until Magda had stopped moving before releasing a pent up breath.

"Thank you." Milena kept her voice soft. "Did you get any sleep?"

"It feels strange without Lilith here. She- I-" The young girl looked down at her knife. "I- I feel safe with her."

Milena immediately understood. She never slept well around other people, without her father on the plane, she probably wouldn't have slept as deeply as she had, if at all. "I usually don't have nightmares."

"What changed then?"

The Grimm didn't answer that, staring out the window as clouds polluted the window. "You might want to get some sleep Ruiss, we still have a long flight yet."

Her cousin sheathed her weapon and placed both the sharpening stone and it into her bag. After a brief hesitation, Ruiss laid back her seat and curled her legs underneath the blanket she produced from a cubby below her feet. It took a few minutes but eventually her breathing slowed into a natural pace and Milena allowed herself to study her cousin without shame of staring.

_Why are we cursed to dream such horrible things? Blood, pain, terror; why must we remember? _Milena roughly shoved away the thoughts as she watched the night sky open up for a moment before being swallowed by clouds once more. Her hand rested absently on her face, stroking a fine line that stretched across her cheek.


	9. Chapter 11

After two exhausting days of travel, they arrived. Milena unconsciously tensed as she stepped off the plane, breathing in the cool dusk air. No one willingly went to America for an extended period of time because there was absolutely nothing; no order, rules or Royals. It was pure chaos, a wilderness that no one had tried to claim yet. Every Grim save Magda and Renata hesitated at the door before stepping through. The two swahili girls however bounded out of the plane, their long white teeth bared in uncontrollable grins.

Becoming of the instinct trained into them since birth, the older Grimms exited a bit more cautiously, squinting in the sunlight, hands never quite leaving their sides. Resembling more Mauzhertz than the killers they were, Milena couldn't help but follow their lead. _America. _It didn't seem possible; it didn't seem real.

Confidence expressed itself in Fredrick as he stepped off the plane and cleared his throat in an unnecessary gesture to get everyone's attention. All the Grimm were used to Valian who expected their attention whether she was giving orders or not. "I want everyone to help with the luggage so we can head out faster and get to our destination before dawn."

Despite the inclination to scope the area, Milena was grateful for the task and lead the group as they made their way to the side of the plane, beating the people who were sent to unload their belongings. Trusting her father to take care of the confused workers, she grappled with a long narrow bag, hearing the dulled clang of clothed steel as she slung it over her shoulder before grabbing another suitcase.

Escaping the small crowd of Grimms as they loaded each other up with baggage, the girl looked around until she found was she assumed to be their transportation. Three cars sat waiting for the small group, a silver range rover, a dark green honda accord and a black sedan. Each car looked beaten and worn, like those Milena was used to driving back at home. Cars that looked similar and traveled together often times brought more attention than separate cars traveling together. However, looks could be deceiving. Milena assumed that like the cars back in Europe, the three before her had been enhanced in one way or another. It would be fun to find out what they were capable of.

Forgoing introductions, Milena motioned for one of the hired drivers to pop the trunk of the range rover, carefully placing her load into the back. The suitcase she carried made small clicks every time she jostled it, most likely the poison cache. While most of them would not harm Grimms, multiple vials mixing together as one was not an experience Milena wished to see the outcome of. Gently strapping the case to the side of the trunk, Milena made sure it wouldn't move before stepping out of Ruiss' way as the younger girl unloaded her bags as well.

Knives, rifles, pistols, swords, everything weapon that was placed in the three cars were carefully packaged and made to look as innocent as possible. Fredrick, once he finished speaking with the bystanders, made his way over to the cars, looking surprised to find everything loaded. Milena stood at attention next to the other younger Grimms, keeping her eyes forward as she had been taught to.

Her father let out a strained laugh. "Wow, she really tightened down on you guys." He studied them for a moment more before jolting himself. "Oh ya, sorry- At ease soldiers."

Milena allowed her posture to relax and kept the surprise from her face when Fredrick simply hopped in the dark green honda, not bothering to check their work over. After a small moment of shock, the other Grimms scrambled to close trunks and doors as they split into the transport vehicles. The girl smiled at her father from the shotgun seat, gently patting his shoulder. "I think you almost made them have a heart attack."

He looked troubled as he fastened his seatbelt, nodding to Ruisseau as the girl got into the backseat. "You're mother has you on a short leash these days."

"After Sef died, Mum got more interested in keeping things orderly." Milena sighed back, remembering the nice Grimm and her tightly run teams. The woman believed that chaos killed people and order saved lives. Whenever Milena hunted with her, Sef had a plan for everything and a place for every tool. Sef's death had hit everyone like a hammer blow, no one more than Vailian who had allowed a close bond to form with the two separate Grimm groups. After Sef's death, her crews either broke up or joined Milena's mother's program.

"It was a hard year on all of us." Fredrick replied heavily. "Did you ever find who killed her?"

"If we did, they would have faced the blade of Vailian Erhardt herself."

"And mine as well." He growled, turning the car and driving to the gates of the small airport.

The building turned out to be an abandoned warehouse, the windows reinforced and relatively intact. Only one exit and entrance was prominent but Milena, who was used to seeing past the regular cognizance, noticed at least four different exit routes. They arrived only thirty minutes from the airport, their means of transportation and escape from the country readily at hand and accessible. Fredrick noticed his daughter's small smile and grinned as he pulled into the deserted parking lot. "So you like it then?"

She forced the smile from her lips. "It's okay."

"She's trying to mess with you Mr. Dorian." Milena scowled playfully at Ruiss when the french Grimm spoke up, a look that Ruiss ignored as she studied the building with appreciative eyes. "I, on the other hand, will tell you that this is how do you say-" She pretended to consider. "awesome."

Milena's father laughed and shifted the car into park. "Thanks for the reassurances Ruisseau." He got out of the car and both girls followed suit, silently opening the trunk to the car in a well worn routine.

The others parked, followed Ruiss' and Milena's example and were soon bringing in the equipment into their new base. Fredrick pitched in as well, seemingly at a loss that things were going smoothly. Milena heard him muttering about a tight leash on her way out to help unload the larger vehicles. Once the job was completed, the girl stood at attention as Fredrick placed his bags beside the others.

Standing, the man cleared his throat before addressing the attentive group before him. "We all know why we are here; to scout out new territory for expansion in later years." He rolled his wrist, producing a sharp crack before continuing. "The reason we start in Oregon is that we have heard news of a fellow Grimm making noise in the area. I want to find out if the rumors of a Portland Grimm are true. If they're not, we will end the one who decided to assume the title of Grimm without the proper lineage" Fredrick looked like he had spat out a bad piece of food as the word passed his teeth. Unlike his daughter or wife, Fredrick was considered to be a mongrel among the pure blooded, bred Grimm he worked with. However, if this new Grimm had no ties to any family he was free game to any who had a bone to pick with a Grimm and with little risk of retaliation from any other formidable force. "and give them an ending worthy of a traitor. If the rumors are true, we'll see how well this Grimm can defend his territory."

That brought savage grins to some faces. There were rules that restricted behavior back in Europe but no rules here. Milena felt her own smirk grow. Kings fell every other day in the United States it seemed.

"We'll split up into four small groups. Magda and Christuf, Ficke and Renata, Milena and Ruisseau, Silas and Brie. I know that most of you would prefer to work with your hunting partners," Fredrick answered Magda's unspoken complaint when she made to question him. "but local authorities will question miners walking around with each other and without an adult person accompanying them." He turned away from Magda and addressed the group once more. "I will not risk the operation because of small time curiosity blowing our cover, understood?" He received nods from all of them in response. A bemused smile was on his face as he shook his head. "What, no 'yes sirs'?" When the young persons in front of him opened their mouths to comply, he quickly waved his hands. "Kidding- I was kidding."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Any questions?"

Silas stepped forward. "How are we going to flush out the Grimm?"

"Good question." The man nodded approvingly. "We're going hunting."

Goodbyes didn't take long. The groups took what they needed, hugged or shook hands before fileing out the door. Milena and Ruiss, Fredrick had explained, would be staying with him. Once everyone else left in their chosen vehicle, the man motioned the two girls forward. "Collect whatever weapons and equipment you need for the next couple of days."

"Where are we going?" Milena didn't really mind remaining with her father. He respected her enough for her to hunt alone but he might have had other reasons to keep her close.

"Portland." He answered simply. "We need to watch the city and have an accurate baseline for what the cities' wesen activity is."

"To see who reacts to the news when it comes in." His daughter nodded her head, understanding. "What happens after that?"

"We regroup." Ruisseau called from behind Milena, tossing her a long sword. "Or were you not listening to Mr. Dorian before?"

"Just making sure." Milena answered, easily intercepting the weapon before strapping it to her back. She crouched next to dozens of little vials and elected to take three of her favorites. On long missions, her preferences changed and she would usually care around the box but on this small run, things should be relatively easy. Poisons could paralyze unwilling victims, put them down quickly or make the host feel like they were burning through their system for hours. Useful for any situation. The ones Milena pocket would kill her opponents relatively quickly but only if she compounded the poisons. Only the fluids would render her opponent unconscious and leave them with nothing but a pounding headache. Milena didn't like killing people on accident.

"Ruiss, do you want any?"

The french girl looked up and snorted. "I like them screaming Milena."

"If you two are ready, we can head out." Both nodded to Fredrick and he turned, walking through a broken door.

A silver jeep waited for them through the entrance and all three quickly unloaded their equipment. Driving away from the base was harder than Milena anticipated and she felt her eyes tracking it before it was consumed by the surrounding trees. "How long until we can come back?"

Fredrick laughed at that. "Only a couple days, Miles. Don't worry."

Dark storm clouds lined the dark sky as they traveled on the main road, promising rain. The knife Milena had on her belt felt like ice as she stroked the silver hilt. "I'm not."


	10. Chapter 12

Portland was five hours away from their base, a drive Milena spent watching the rain fall on the surrounding countryside. Americans drove on the wrong side of the road and the car was built wrong to match it but Fredrick seemed to handle the controls just fine. Milena herself had small experiences with handling vehicles, the job having always been someone else's duty, but, she enjoyed driving. Ruiss slept peacefully in the back but Milena eagerly drank in the countryside. The scenic drive reminded her little of the sects in Europe she was used to. Expanses of trees bordered by sweeping flats, small valleys and stretches of land that had yet to be developed. Mountains crested in the distance, snow starkly white upon their pecks. The girl glanced away from the view long enough to notice Fredrick looking at her expectantly.

"Sorry Dad, did you say something?"

"I mentioned to Ruiss that when we get into town, we're going to need a place to stay. Any hotel prejudice on your part?"

Milena considered. "Not with hotels but I'd like a ground level room facing east with a fire escape nearby."

He blinked and the younger Grimm realized her mistake; he had been joking. The girl opened her mouth to apologize then thought better of it. She took a deep breath. "I want a ground floor because on a mission, one of the wesen tracked us to a hotel and barred my door before pumping smoke into my room. The three story drop to the pool was not as pleasant as I thought it would be." She stared out the window for a moment. "A fire escape because if I don't have access to my weapons, hotels usually keep a fire ax along with an extinguisher. And a room facing east because I like to wake up with the sun."

Milena glanced over at Fredrick, trying to watch his expressions casually. He seemed puzzled and sad. "How long has it been Miles?" He asked.

"Since what?"

"Since I last saw you and your Mom for longer than a few days."

The Grimm wished it would take her a second to know the answer to his question but it was one she had asked herself dozens of times. "I forgot. If you had asked my a few years ago, I would have known but-" She hesitated.

"But you had to survive." He finished, hands gripping the steering wheel. "And there were more important things to remember."

She winced. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too Miles but there is no reason you should apologize." He smiled. "I barely recognized you at Camp. Vailian had said you'd grown big but I-" He chuckled. "Truthfully, I didn't believe her. It had been a couple of years since I last saw you and I thought 'No, she's my little girl, she'll stay small forever'."

Milena rolled her eyes, smiling at his words as she pretended to groan. "Not that again Dad."

"Swear on my honor. You've grown so tall and big- I've even heard some of your legendary kills from other groups." Fredrick watched his daughter from the corner of his eye. "I'm proud of you Miles and I'm sorry I couldn't have been there to watch you grow."

"It wouldn't have been safe. Mum keeps me away from her to minimize the risk of an attack. I don't think she wants to see me get hurt."

"She trained you well though." He nodded approvingly and Milena felt a small glimmer of pride rise in her chest. "Are you going to do the Trials?"

"You talk like they're a choice."

"That's because they are." He noticed Milena's shock. "What, parading yourself in front of the Royals as a bloody job application doesn't seem like a option instead of mandatory experience?"

"Everyone does the trials." The girl sputtered. This knowledge went against everything she had been taught. People didn't just get to walk away from the Royals; they controlled the entirety of Europe of God's sake.

"No, some Grimms don't. Miles you always have a choice, always. Didn't you know that?" She stayed silent and he looked at her, really looked at her. "You thought you'd have to be enslaved to a Royal, didn't you?"

"Unless I wanted to work for Mum. Or be executed."

"Some Grimms get out of the Royals' service." He reminded her.

Milena scoffed. "Casse Raison died getting out of their _service_. She got her husband killed as well."

"Your Aunt also left your mother's protect and changed her own name to make sure it was difficult to find her, all to be with a human with no knowledge of our world." He glanced in the mirror, making sure Ruiss was still asleep before watching the road ahead. "You won't be as foolish a dreamer as she was."

They rode in silence for a few minutes, Fredrick watching the road as Milena stared vacantly out the window. "How did Casse die again Dad?"

Fredrick puffed out a breath. "She died a death no one deserves."

"And they made Lilith and Ruisseau watch."

He was silent again, glancing at the young girl in the backseat, blond hair tousled as she breathed peacefully. "Yeah Miles. Casse stopped running when she got to Paris; married a man named Sebastien Fontaine and had Lilith, Ruiss and Renard."

"Who found her?" Milena hadn't heard the complete story.

"A Wendigo group who heard of a little girl who could see wesen had been found in France. From what I heard, Sebastian went missing a few days before they caught up with Casse. She was still a Grimm Miles and knew when danger was near. She asked your Grandma to take Renard earlier and planned on traveling with her two little girls to the Camp grounds right behind them."

"They never made it. Your Grandmother searched for days but she couldn't find her eldest child. Vailian finally heard and pitched in. They found Ruiss and Lilith relatively unharmed but Casse-" He swallowed with difficulty. "Casse didn't survive."

"What happened?"

He shook his head. "It's not my place to say Milena, if you want to know what happened, you have to ask Ruiss or Lilith."

"But-"

"No. Everything I've heard is secondhand at best. Your mother won't even speak of what happened on that day and I have respected her wishes and kept the information to myself. The only ones with the rights to say anything are your Grandmother, Mother, Lilith and Ruisseau."

Milena nodded grudgingly. "I just want to understand."

"Understand their bloodlust or understand why it's so easy to kill wesen for them?"

The young Grimm ducked her head, guilt rushing through her. He father read her like an open book. "What gave me away?"

""Your legendary kills. They're impossibly quick, clean and skilled. You want to know what stories I hear of Lilith and Ruiss? Blood, gore, torture. It doesn't take a genius to see that you value skill mastery over blood." He looked at her again. "It takes time Milena but you'll grow to love being a Grimm. It's who you are, who you're meant to be. Once you accept your Grimm, the impulses will be easier to control."

Milena shivered. "I can't control them though. Mum makes me-"

"She sets your Grimm free." Fredrick cut her off but his voice was gentle. "You know that if you keep your Grimm caged for too long what will happen."

"She doesn't set it free; she controls me with it. I can't resist her commands or make any decisions. The world would be better off with my Grimm out of it."

"If you accept your Grimm as a part of yourself, she wouldn't be able to control you. Don't fight your Grimm." Milena tried not to roll her eyes at the phrase. She had heard it a thousand times before. "I'm serious Miles, if you fight your Grimm you'll-"

"Go mad? Be consumed? Cease to exist?" She did roll her eyes then. "I am stronger than my Grimm Dad."

"No you're not Milena; no one is." The Grimm crossed her arms, breath huffing out as she drew her legs to her chest. "You have to accept this Mile." The man glanced over at his only child, trying to read her expressions. But after years of being apart from her, months of not even a glimnce of his only child, Milena doubted, correctly, that he knew her anymore than he knew a stranger. He seemed to have arrived at the same conclusion if his following sigh was any indicator. "Do you at least understand why your mother can control you so easily?"

"She can control me because I'm weak."

Fredrick was shaking his head even before she finished. "You're not weak Miles; don't ever let someone tell you that you're weak, especially yourself. Valian is older than you and has more control over her own nature. The Grimm you're attempting to repress is fighting against the mental bars you have painstakingly erected. So, on the hunts your mother participates in, Valian allows it a chance to be free."

"She allows it to control me." Milena spat back, anger and a surprising rush of helplessness bleeding through. "To run free and kill without restraint. I have no control, I'm present but-"

"You're almost riding in the backseat." Milena felt her cheeks burn even as she jumped. Ruiss' voice was tired and heavy with sleep but she spoke with startling clarity. "You've lost control of the horse and it's thrown you off, trampling everything."

"An apt description." Fredrick nodded in approval. "But what your mother has done is necessary. She, throughout all these years, has respected your choice to fight your nature and has, in turn, helped you cultivate a more stable control over it."

"By doing what?" Milena tightened her grip on her legs, resting her chin on them. "Allowing that thing to run free?"

"She's giving you freedom." Ruiss yawned. "Really Milena, you should enjoy it."

Fredrick gave the girl a warning glance through the back mirror before explaining. "The wesen legends that are spread all over the world are due to Grimm like you Milena." The girl chocked on her own spit with shock but the man continued. "Consumed with caging the monster, all you are doing is making yourself more susceptible to its' hold. The only reason you have lasted this long is because of two reasons; you're young and you have yet to find yourself in a blatant life or death situation."

"I'm not a monster" Milena had to stop herself from sputtering in outrage. "and Valian doesn't help me control it."

"Think of your Grimm as a stallion." Ruiss unbuckled her seat-belt and shifted forward enough for her elbows to rest on the median, facing Milena directly. "It can never truly be tamed, you only have a small fraction of control over it but it is useful and belligerent enough to survive the battles you ride it through. From time to time, you use this as a weapon but you forget that it is more than a inorganic object. You take it outside when you need it but between these widely varied intervals of combat, you take that powerful, extraordinary animal and you put it in a stable. And it begins to fights you, to chomp at the bit. It doesn't want to be caged so it rages rather than be put back." Ruiss looked Milena directly in the eye. "Every time you force it to go back to the cage, it gets angrier and fights more until it snaps, goes insane and tramples you."

Fredrick nodded absently. "It's not a metaphor I would have used but Ruiss is correct. Your mother has been allowing your Grimm to roam free because, if caged for extended periods of time, it will consume you in an attempt to be free. And you've heard the stories of those Grimm."

The girl didn't bother to nod. The stories of Grimms that the wesen told were all true but the especially bloody ones were the work of Vesania Grimm, Grimm who had succumbed to their own personal darkness, Grimm that made Ruiss and Lilith's rampages look like child's play. They were ruled by blood and killed any wesen who had the unfortunate fortune to cross paths with them. Valian made sure to order her people to give them a wide berth but also ordained it a crime to kill the Vesania Grimm_. _Even deranged and out of their 'sane' minds they were still Grimm.

"What do you suggest I do?" Milena felt weariness tugging at her limbs.

"What you can." Fredrick said gently. "I'm not expecting you to make any immediate changes; that you will do in your own time but I am expecting you to sleep." He smiled at her startled look. "Did you really think I missed how little you slept on the plane? Sleep Milena, we'll wake you up before we enter Portland."

The girl considered resisting but needed a break in more ways than one. "I'll be lucky if I can even sleep." Milena complained as she tilted her seat back and shut her eyes.

"Knowing you Milena," Ruiss smiled. "You're already asleep."

The Grimm didn't bother to reply, allowing herself to slip away.


	11. Chapter 13

Portland was a lot smaller than Milena had fist estimated. Trees grew from the sides of hills and tufted out of the city's side streets but the industrial part of the city was small compared to those that were established in Europe. She definitely enjoyed the trees though; they seemed to be apart of everyday life, living in numerous numbers around the area as well as in the city itself. The whether report that Milena had watched a few days before had talked of the surprisingly dry summer the state had endured. She snorted softly as her eyes drank in the green hills ringing downtown Portland. Apparently eighty five degrees Fahrenheit was hot to Americans.

Rivers coursed around and through the city, large bridges like the one Milena currently stood on helped the flow of traffic along. The hunt for finding the Portland Grimm was on. Fredrick said that he had a basic idea of where to start looking but easiest way to find a Grimm was to find their prey. In this case, that meant wesen.

"I thought this Grimm was a fair one though." Milena had smirked from the backseat.

"He is." Milena remembered him replying. "That doesn't mean he ignores the problems most wesen cause. For some reason he always seems to know where any trouble case comes from. We need to know how."

"And this is where I come in?"

"Yes, this would be it."

Walking around the slums would be easiest way to identify wesen. At least the wesen they were looking for. Milena walked to the other side of the large bridge, watching the water course underneath her. When looking for wesen desperate enough to revert back to their base nature, you looked in desperate places. The girl felt her eyes narrow as a man brushed past her, allowing her lips to curl into a grin. _I found you._

Beaten down, carrying at least two six packs of beer in a plastic bag, five coffees perched perilously in a container and stinking to high heaven of a foul stench that Milena had yet to place, he gave every indication of a team player. Where he went, the team was sure to be. Milena took out her phone, a simple flip phone Fredrick had magically conjured from his bags and the dark ages, texting, _Found our guy. Yet to confirm alias. _

_Alias not important info. _Fredrick immediately texted back as Milena stalked the man, maintaining a careful distance. _Location of base_?

"Not there yet." Milena muttered, texting the words. "Can't expect me to be everywhere."

_Loc of u? _Ruiss' number popped in screen.

Milena sighed crossly at the abbreviated words but texted the street name. How or where Ruiss had learned to text in that language was beyond her. A few minutes later the silver jeep pulled up next to her and Milena didn't hesitate to open the door, seating herself quickly. Ruiss grinned beside her in the drivers seat. "Americans have a funny way of driving." She was referring to the odd way they drove, something Milena had puzzled over as well. Even though she was part American herself, Milena still had trouble keeping up with why they did or acted certain ways. _You're more British anyway. _She told herself quietly, ignoring the small twinge of discomfort at the thought.

"I noticed." Milena replied to Ruiss "Well discuss the many things in the U.S of A that are wrong later." She pointed to the hunched man a few blocks ahead of them. "That's our guy."

As an answer, Ruiss began driving five miles per hour below the speed limit, keeping the careful distance Milena had managed to maintain. "Do we know his name yet?" Milena knew the French girl was just making conversation. Ruisseau had killed wesen with less information; there had been many times she had been scolded for it. But curiosity for data of those they were chasing got the better of her at times, especially when the mission hit a slow streak.

"Dad said that he was a smaller cog in a large clock." Milena snorted quietly as Ruiss turned, watching the man slowly make his way down a side street. "A group known best for their brutal kidnapping tactics." She kept her head straight but allowed herself to study Ruiss in her periphery vision. Cases involving kidnappers that Ruiss was involved in oftentimes saw the death of said kidnappers. It was a touchy topic to breach, especially with the Fontaine's girl's speckled history with violence and entrapment.

The Grimm didn't miss the flash of anger in Ruiss' blue eyes despite her otherwise cool expression. "Do they currently have a victim?" 

"No. Apparently a Grimm managed to stop their last attempt." Milena's hand gripped the steering wheel. "Stop-"

"I know." Ruiss brushed off her hand. "I see the same thing you do." The girl pulled the car over to the side, watching as the man turned down an ally to a large building, not to discreetly looking over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being followed. Milena zipped up her jacket, looking over to find a grinning Ruiss already exiting the vehicle. She gestured impatiently yet managed to make it seem like an everyday gesture to the few people on the street. "Come on Mile. It's go time."

"Alright, alright." Milena followed her teammate as she crossed the street, entering an ally that ran adjacent to the one the man had disappeared down. Relatively hidden from view, they gave up the pretences of two random people and sprinted to the dumpster that lined the low handing roof. Vaulting herself up first, Ruiss spun on her heel, reached out, catching Milena's waiting hand and pulled her up before turning to run along the roof. Making sure no one could see her crouched form, Milena followed quickly, watching below as the unassuming man they had followed walked down the ally way. He was fishing in his pockets, muttering something that sounded close to a dozen swear words Milena knew in English and a dozen more in German.

They paused a few paces ahead of his position relative to the street, waiting for him to catch up. "Do you think he's German?" Milena muttered. Based on the man's build alone, he was most likely a small time wesen, possible a Hundjager or Klaustreich. That didn't help when guessing if he worked for someone on a larger scale. Royals infringed on territory was not uncommon but Royals in the United States raised eyebrows and knowing where this man originated from could help with guessing if he worked for one. That made Ruiss an undeniable asset.

She cocked her head, listened for a moment, then shook her head. "His accent doesn't ring any bells. He's not a native to Europe, probably learned the language from his parents or took it in school; it sounds second hand at best." Milena nodded, studying the building opposite of them. They needed to find a safe way to infiltrate the building and hopefully avoid any contact with the group. A strictly recon type of mission, information came first. Any information carried by a dead messenger was less than useless.

Milena nudged Ruiss and gestured silently to a small hole in the building near the roof. A building mistake, the wall didn't quite meet the roof leaving just enough room for two small people to fit through. Ruiss tipped her head in a 'so so' direction, one Milena immediately understood. If they didn't fit or if they were caught out in the open, they wouldn't be able to retreat without using force. Potentially killing the targets they wanted to track would not go over well with Fredrick, no matter the excuse. Or at least that would happen with Vailian. Milena was less sure of her father. When neither of the Grimm could find a better entrance strategy that didn't involve them leaving the roof, they slowly began maneuvering around the roof to the small entrance.

As they painstakingly did their best to remain out of sight, the man below finally managed to get his keys separated from his pocket and opened the door to the potential base of operation. At best, the Grimms would find the group they were looking for. At worst, this building substituted as a garage and the man they were following had a car inside, waiting to drive him to a more secure location. With no one in the alley, Ruiss picked up the pace, racing to the entrance. Milena followed for a moment before noticing a slight movement in her periphery vision. Hoping she wasn't seen, the Grimm reached forward, catching a handful of Ruiss' dark jacket and dragged her to the roof top.

Ignoring the sharp spiking pain that followed her collision with the roof, Milena put a hand out to stop Ruisseau from standing up. Placing a finger to her lips, the Grimm met Ruiss' heated gaze steadily, gesturing to the street below them as new voices rose from an unloading car. Even though there was a good reason for the sudden tackle, the Grimm still looked pissed as she crawled forward on the spotted roof. Milena sighed but followed her partner. It was excruciatingly slow going but it certainly beat being seen by the people below. Without any info on who they were or for whom they worked for, it could be potentially disastrous for any people to know their identities or faces. Wesen tended not to forget faces, a fact Milena had learned well on previous missions.

A couple of the voices remained outside the building, a fact that irritated Ruiss to no end, as it forced them to continue at a crawl but they made due. Milena threw a couple of pieces of the thin roof top on the opposite side of the complex, drawing the guards' attention and allowing both Grimms to slip through the small hole unseen. Blinking at the sudden absence of light, Milena watched as Ruiss threw herself into the air, hands catching the metal outcrop a few feet away. She hauled herself up, walking on the small catwalk without any apparent effort. Milena knew she was searching for an outcrop they would be able to view the proceedings without actually being seen themselves. While it was unlikely for those below to take the time to search the metal rafters it paid to be careful.

Milena took a deep breath and hurled herself from the ledge, keeping her breathing steady as the shock rippled through her hands at the contact, using the left over momentum from her jump to drag herself on to the metal catwalk. She ran along the thin track, reaching Ruisseau in a matter of moments. The group below congregated together in the center of the room, mostly men but a couple of women ringed inside the group as well. Milena felt the small surge of rage rush through her veins but forced it down to a manageable level. She never enjoyed killing wesen in general but she did like the sport of ridding the world of the few that spoiled the name of wesen in general.

Ruiss must have had great self-control not to jump the three meter drop and kill every single one of them. Maybe it was because Milena had told her that there could be more of them in the group. The French Grimm's face was blank of any emotion but Milena knew her well enough to recognize her planning face. When this mission was over, these people would meet an end Milena wouldn't wish on her worst enemy. _Maybe a few kidnappers. _She amended quietly to herself, her Grimm stirring at the thought.

Studying the surrounding area, the girl motioned to a mostly shadowed part of the catwalk near a support beam and Ruiss nodded in agreement, settling in as Milena moved to an identical support beam a few meters away. Separating to gather Intel was a more effective strategy than both of them sitting together. They would recon after the meeting and compare what they had heard.

By the way the people of the group interacted with each other, how their voice rose and fell in a cadence, Milena could tell they were comfortable with one another. _They've worked together before._ She bristled at the thought. Their apparent success depended on many factors but as Milena watched the group quietly mull around the small interior, she focused on two. _Either they are well informed on the art of kidnapping and getting away with it or they have been very lucky thus far by not getting caught._ Those two scenarios painted the group in two vary different lights. Well organized hits would speak of a higher power training them, something that would interest Fredrick whereas blind luck would dismiss this group as petty criminals.

The group immediately quieted as a man stepped forward. He was little over one and a half meters tall, dressed casually. He was bundled up, shivering despite his attire. _Not a native._ Milena noted, studying the others of the group. Most wore lighter jackets, some windbreakers but not the thick grab the man before the group did, which told her he wasn't used to the wind chill in the area. Dark brown hair with mouse like features, Milena couldn't see his eye color from the distance. She would have to wait for another opportunity.

"Thank you for coming to this meeting." His voice was thin and high, a timbre the Grimm immediately disliked. The tonality itself reminded her of the tone some people took when attempting to manipulate her, a trick she had not fallen for in years. "I would like to congratulate our group for another successful run." He paused and the group hesitated before quietly giving a few off key claps. He nodded, continuing. "Our ultimate target has yet to arrive in our city but when they do, we shall be ready for them."

"Who is our ultimate target?" A man asked from the back of the group. _Who indeed. _Milena perked in interest at the flimsy title.

"That will be revealed to you in time." The lead man Milena had silently named rat dismissed the question with a forced air of indifference. "Our current target will be revealed by your team leader should you be chosen for the mission. Until that time, we need to gather a few materials. If everyone would-"

The Grimm pushed his voice to the back round, knowing Ruiss would be listening to the conversation. If the team leaders knew the target, the best way to find the victim would be to know team leaders. Tracking a few people would easier than the whole group itself. Taking out her silenced phone, she began snapping pictures of the members close to her. Three meters above them, the interior of the building dim and not well lit, the pictures were mediocre. _Better than nothing. _She amended, taking a picture of the talking man as he blathered on about ropes. Materials were important; they could follow the groups and see where they liked to purchase product.

"- other than that, I say I'll see you next week." The assembly immediately began chatting with one another, slowly walking toward the entrance. "Halley," A woman in the group seemed unsurprised that Rat called on her. "Stay for a few minutes and bring Charlie."

Milena quickly sorted through her phone's gallery and added the label 'Haley' underneath the woman's picture. Charlie, who turned out to be a small, rugged looking man, was similarly tagged in the Grimm's phone. The small group was heading away from the general procession so, without a thought, Milena stood and followed them as close as she could on the parallel catwalk above them. Ruiss might follow but the girl doubted her cousin would risk abandoning the information coming from the large group exiting the building. Free talking people sometimes gave more away than their bosses. Interactions within the group would hopefully name the team leaders.

Walking to the back room, Milena spotted the first man they had followed to this destination. He nod to Rat before handing him a cup of coffee, offering a similar drink to the pair of people behind him, both who immediately declined. T_hey don't plan to stay long or they don't trust the person handing out the drinks. _Milena made a note of it but focused on the conversation at hand.

"I want to congratulate you two on last night's run." Rat's voice was hard to hear over the cadence of the group. Milena sighed but moved closer, resting directly over them. It was a risk she had to take. "You lead the group rather well."

"I wanted to talk about that." Haley began but Rat cut her off with a wave of the hand.

"We'll discuss it later. Right now I want you to make the preparations for tomorrow's job. I want this to go as smoothly as possible."

And just like that, they had found the team leaders for the next kidnapping. Milena had to smile.


	12. Chapter 14

**Sorry about the Computer code and thank you for telling me. As a sorry, I will be posting another Chapter within the week. **

"This will be a difficult target." Rat continued, placing a rather old looking map on the table. "Not a large family, no security or other barriers but the father has military training and the children we're looking for will most likely be trained as well."

"Do we expect any trouble from the wife?" The man named Charlie didn't seemed concerned, an emotion shared by Rat.

"If you do you can always kill her." Rat replied, sounding like it had been stated before and, by both Charlie's and Halley's lack of reaction, it probably had been.

The woman sighed as she leaned over the map, her voice tired as she asked, "Do we get to know the reason for going after this target?" Again, it sounded like a well worn question, carrying the air of neglect.

As a small time person in the Grimm family, Milena understood the woman's frustration with the blatant lack of exposition on the felony they were about to commit. She had killed wesen just because her team had been given a name and an address; an action that she never could truly get over. These people acted liked they could care less about what would happen to the victim of their felony. The Grimm felt Ruiss' anger slowly start to rise and attempted to quell her own.

_This is a recon mission._ She reminded herself, knuckles white as she gripped the steel plating of the bar beneath her. _You'll get your chance to kill them later. _Milena didn't know whether to be proud as the surge of satisfaction washed over her at the thought or the shame that followed. From the jagged grin on Ruiss' face Milena could see in the dim light, the Grimm knew she should have taken pride in it.

Below them, Rat had motioned for his two comrades to stop speaking, small eyes darting around the room. "Do you smell that-"

He woged, lifting his now fur covered nose to the air, taking deep breaths. The two in front of his did the same, glancing up at the ceiling. After a moment, Charlie took out a small flashlight, the beam slicing through the shadows. A flash of movement made the small group stiffen but the rafters and support beams proved to be empty. "I swore I saw something." Halley muttered, watching the space above them.

"Birds wander in here all the time." Rat's dismissive voice ended their search. "I want this to go smoothly."

Both of the thugs turned away reluctantly, Charlie rolling his eyes. "You already said that. No worries- we'll get it done."

No one apart of the group noticed the two shades squeezing through the small hole in the roof, disappearing with little more than a breath.

"Are you sure about this?"

They had waited patiently for either Halley or Charlie to appear form the compound but as the second hour ticked past, Ruiss was growing hungry which meant she was growing irritable which meant she had to irritate Milena as well. The girl re-braided her hair for the sixth time, quietly cursing the tangles under her breath. "Dad said he wanted information."

"He also said to keep in touch." Ruisseau said, watching Milena critically as she struggled with her hair. "And what are you attempting? A noose?"

The other Grimm shot her a withering glare. "French braid. Valian taught me once. Don't worry about Dad, we sent him a text with all our information."

Ruiss looked down at her phone. "It's still sending."

Milena added subtle cusses about useless phone service to her muttered proclamations about tangled hair. She was as bored as Ruiss, the only difference being she actually tried to entertain herself while Ruiss preferred to chat.

"Maybe we should go-"

"We're suppose to stay put."

"Really, you're going to pull the '_I'm an obedient child_' now that your dad is here?"

Milena felt herself blush but pushed the reaction away. "Shut up Ruiss."

"Unlikely." She retorted back. Light flashed off a single curved blade before it sank into a target on the wall.

_I get that it's a coping habit._ Milena watched her throw another knife, landing it millimeters away from the other. _But this is ridicules. _"Maybe we should patrol." She suggested out loud, watching another projectile land next to the last.

Ruiss puffed out a breath. "Thank God for that." She sheathed the knife already in her hand and stalked forward to collect the rest from the small area surrounding them where she had hung more targets for a little more challenge.

Stretching to relieve the stiffness in her muscles, Milena gave up on the braid and coiled her hair into a pony tail. The girl again glanced down at her wrist, checking her clock for the umpteenth time. _Where are you Dad? _

"Come on Mile." Ruiss sheathed her last knife, before turning toward the compound's side entrance door. "We've been like sitting ducks in here."

The Grimm rolled her eyes then paused, tilting her head to the side.

Ever in tune with her teammate's responses, Ruiss immediately froze, knife in hand. "What is it?"

Milena held her hand up for silence, motioning for her cousin to back away from the door. They both melted into the shadows against the walls, Milena drawing her saber while Ruiss drew two more throwing knifes. Tilting her head, Milena focused on the slight noises of a car roll to a stop. Whoever was driving it had cut the power, using the momentum built because of the slight decline to the compound to their advantage, moving the car in neutral. Ruiss' head cocked as two voices quietly conversed outside, a flurry of boots crunching through the gravel. At Milena's motioning, both of the girls lined up beside the main door, weapons at the ready.

The Grimms tensed as the people outside tried the door handle, unfamiliar voices tangling together. Giving a single nod to Ruiss, Milena grasped the handle, holding up five fingers.

Four.

Three. Ruiss flipped a knife, shifting to a ready stance.

Two. Tightening her grip on the handle, Milena held her breath

Before she reached one, a voice farther from the compound than the others shouted and a flurry of movement outside followed by the sound of a car speeding down the drive made both Ruiss and Milena relax their stances.

Ruiss let out a sigh of disappointment that was immediately echoed by Milena as they both sheathed their weapons. "You were right about being sitting ducks." Milena admitted as she walked to the back door.

"I'm rarely wrong." The other Grimm answered, twirling a knife. "Who do you think they were?"

"Probably some kids looking for a quiet spot." Milena guessed.

"But what made them leave?"

"Fredrick just arrived."

A coded knock echoed Milena's assumption. She opened the door and found Fredrick staring down the drive, a frown of his own mirrored in her expression. The young Grimm looked over his shoulder, noting the deep furrows in the gravel made by a speeding car. "Where are Silas and Brie?"

"They said to drop them off before we made it to the complex." Milena watched as the man seemed to mentally shrug as he stepped past her with a wary sigh. "Valian really has taught you to run paranoid."

"If it kept us alive, I would stop eating meat." Ruiss shouted from inside the building.

Milena ignored the quip, breathing the cool night air as she stepped outside of the building, away from the light. _Something's wrong. _Her eyes swept the surrounding area, pushing away the instinct that insisted she find cover as she searched for whatever was wrong. _Brie might do this as a precaution but Silas doesn't like to do more work than he has to. _Milena drew her sidearm, barrel to the ground as she bent her knees. After a few second of hesitation, Ruiss stalked out of the compound to walk beside her, drawing her knives as they both slowly entered the brush. Milena's father sighed but didn't call them back, drawing a pistol of his own as he turned to watch the driveway. Milena turned the situation over in her head again as her feet silently padded through the trees, eyes alert as she searched for Silas and Brie. _They wouldn't send Fredrick to warn us, they know our training. They're the trigger, corralling whoever they're after but Ruiss and I are the trap. _At Milena's nod, both Grimms separated, remaining in shouting distance of each other.

Milena refused to be distracted by the small sounds the forest naturally produced, ignoring the slight wind, leaves rustling, branches clacking together like dried bones.

Something rustled in the bushes and Milena immediately froze.

It moved again.

Milena brought up her gun, breathing through her nose.

_Careful. _The Grimm felt her excitement entice something deep with in her chest, an instinct she prayed would remain quiet. It stirred as the footfalls got closer, rising beneath Milena's skin, flooding her limbs with impatient strength, an eagerness to tear, to main, to hurt-

_Careful. _Milena fought kept her breath steady as her hands trembled, an eagerness blooming in her heart.

_In._ She held it for a second, hearing the footsteps increase in speed.

Closer.

Closer.

_Out. _She could _feel _Ruisseau's heart beat beside her own, taste the iron heating in her blood. The need to move, to chase rose made her muscles tense in anticipation, a vicious pleasure at the thought of running down her prey, of toying with them as they begged-

Milena huffed a breath, wrenching herself from her thoughts, feeling a the vague sense of disappointment be overwhelmed by a wave of shame. The connection with Ruiss had dissipated, leaving a sinking hole in her. It quickly disappeared as Ruiss moved beside her, nudging her cousin and rushed forward, Milena at her heels.

Now was the time to kill, to run, to live as the figure stepped into their path, Milena's heart leaping with savage joy as another another followed the first figure, shadowing their footsteps. Now both she and Ruiss could play, bleed, cut, kill-

Only Ruiss' outstretched arm bared Milena from leaping forward as the French girl stopped. The Grimm bared her teeth at Ruiss, ready to demand why she had taken her fun before she finally lowered her weapon, recognizing Silas and Brie step forward, armed to the teeth.

"You make enough noise to wake the dead." Milena growled, feeling the vague regret once again rise as she holstered her weapon. Ruiss actually growled at them, angry at the missed opportunity to hunt but both Silas and Brie smiled at the younger Grimms.

"Making noise was kinda the point Hunts." Brie sheathed her own curved knife, winking at Milena. "Can't herd wesen if they don't know they're being hunted."

"Still disappointing there's nothing out here." Ruiss kicked a pebble, pacing like a caged tiger. "I wanted some excitement."

"We'll get some more tomorrow." Silas said. "There was a car that left in a hurry before we covered the driveway. They didn't have any plates which means-"

"We need to set patrols." Milena finished the sentence with a sigh. Patrols meant a little less sleep, which oftentimes meant cranky people. The resigned looks Ruiss Silas and Brie shared showed they also knew the consequences of the patrols.

Tossing her night colored hair, Brie held out a hand to stop Ruiss from pacing. "Come on, we found a few things you might like." The anger Milena felt stir in her chest at the anticlimactic night was written across Ruiss' face as the French Grimm turned and headed back to camp, followed by the other Grimms.

_I'm not getting better at controlling it. _The Grimm felt her blood go cold at the thought as she trudged back to camp. _If anything I'm getting worse. Normal people don't have to deal with this. _That feeling, the incredible rush, the shiver that traveled down her spine at the thought of blood splashing across her clothing, normal people didn't have to fight against that on a daily basis. The yawning hole in her chest began to ache with need, the beginning of a headache echoing in her skull, dogged her feet steps as she followed the others to the base.


	13. Chapter 15

Just by stepping through the door, Milena could taste her father's stormy mood. That and the subtle hints of his glare that met her own questioning gaze, the constant pacing and general silence that permuted the compound also clued her into his cloudy disposition.

Both Silas, Brie and Ruiss had already gone to bed but Milena had volunteered for second watch along with Fredrick. He had promised to brief them in the morning of his plan but the constant tick-tick of his steel toed boots on the cement floor was driving her to murder.

Milena finally caved. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

Fredrick's pattern faltered as she spoke and seemed to draw "Nothing is wrong."

"You're not Mum." She sighed at his confused looked, elaborating "I can tell when you're lying."

"Ah yes." He finally stopped pacing, turning his eyes to a blank wall. "I've always found it amusing how becoming familiar with someone oftentimes blinds us."

_So what does that make you to me? _She silently studied his back, the way he breathed, stood, talked. "What's wrong Dad?"

He started, like he had forgotten she was there. "It's complicated."

"What we do is complicated." She shot back. "Working on this mission is not." Milena almost smiled as the though hit her. "Did you find them- were the rumors true?"

The Portland Grimm had been on her mind all day and Fredrick tossed her a small grin in response. "You haven't changed Hunts. Always looking for answers."

"And you still talk around them."

Not bothering to deny it, he shrugged before silently walking over to sit down on the floor next to her, head resting on his palms.

Milena drew her knife, watching the dim light play of its honed edge as she recalled their conversation days before.

_"How long has it been Miles?" _

_"Since what?"_

He always asked the same question, always had that same shocked expression when he saw her during missions like she had changed without his permission. _We don__'t know each other. _The thought hit her like a slap but her hands were steady as they turned the blade over again and again. She had been five the last time she truly felt he could protect her, keep her safe from the monsters only they could see. That was before she had collected the scar on her face, before Valian decided she would keep her family separated for their own safety. Milena couldn't argue that her mother had been right but she still felt a small surge of anger toward her as she sat next to the man who was her father and knew him to be a stranger.

"What's wrong Dad?"

"Nothing as of yet but Valian was right about the Grimm; there are signs of him everywhere in Portland."

"That's good, we can make contact with him then."

"There also might be a Royal."

Milena kept her face a careful neutral as her heart quickened. _Shit._ A Royal, all the way across the sea, laying territory marks where a Grimm resided. That was never a good sign; more often than not that meant the Grimm belonged to them and if a Royal was collecting enforcers, they were building a foundation to their own house. Royals in Europe didn't react well to their Grimms interacting with others outside of their own houses. If the Grimm of Portland belong to the Royal, meeting with him would start a feud with the Royal himself.

Milena let out a sigh as she sheathed her knife. "So what is our next step?"

"I've already sent the information of the Kidnappers to Ficke, Renata, Magda and Christuf. They've been ordered to keep whoever they capture along the way alive and kicking." Fredrick took out his cellphone and checked for the time before replacing it in his pocket. "They should have finished an hour ago."

_Ah, that's what's bothering you. They haven't checked in yet. _"All of them are experienced hunters Fredrick, they'll be fine."

His brow furrowed. "What did you call me?"

_"_Oh sorry-_" _Milena was internally kicking herself. Just because she didn't know him didn't mean that changed anything. "Mum just calls you that all the time."

"No it's fine. You're an adult now, you can call me whatever you like."

"I'm sixteen."

"Still counts." His phone chirped a small tune and he immediately fetched it from his pocket. After a moment, a grin eased across his face. "Good, we're on track for tomorrow."

"And what are we doing tomorrow Dad?"

He didn't look at her as he stood and began pacing again. "You can call me whatever you like Miles, I wont hold it against you. And tomorrow we'll be having dinner in the city of course; just you and me."

She rose an eyebrow. "Should I wear something nice?"

"Don't wear a dress, just something other than your hunting leathers."

Milena decided not to mention that she didn't carry a dress in her small backpack with her usual clothes. _Besides, even if I did, I hate dresses. They're impractical. _"I'll see what I have." She replied, standing to stretch her back. "What's our group going to be?"

"You and I will be dining. Ruiss, Silas and Brie will be tracking another lead."

A small tinge of discomfort ran through the Grimm as she stalked to the windows, pulling the moth eaten curtains to look outside. "Why don't you take one of the others?"

Milena didn't turn as the pacing stopped behind her, Fredrick's gaze hot on her back. "I see you've inherited Valian's cautious nature while I've been away."

"It's kept both me and her alive." Milena couldn't quite curb the edge that entered her voice as she turned back to face him. "If I am seen with you, people will know-"

"That you're my daughter? That you're also a Grimm?" He almost seemed _insulted_ at her worries. "What is wrong with that Milena?"

Anger born from past memories bled through her as she retorted. "I've been hunted before Fredrick, simply because I'm Valian's daughter."

Both of them stared at one another, blue eyes meeting her dark brown for a long moment before the older Grimm sighed, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. "Can you blame a Father from wanting to spend a single normal dinner with his daughter?"

"You have to accept that we're never going to be normal." Milena felt ancient as she leaned against the concrete wall, wariness sinking into her bones. "And you already know this dinner isn't ordinary. You've already invited the Royal there, haven't you?"

"I was scouting the restaurant today while you and Ruiss were hunting." He confirmed, and Milena let the tiny hope of actually spending time with her father dissipate without a fight. Being a Grimm wasn't a part time job you could go home from. "The Royal likes to dine there every Thursday around 7 pm and I reserved a spot for two months ago when I fist arrived here."

Milena nodded. "I still think you should take someone else."

"We're going together."

"You can't protect or shelter me anymore Fredrick."

When the girl finally met her father's gaze, she only read confusion. "I'm not trying to protect you Hunts, you and I both know Valian would never stand for that. You're coming with me because your Mom is right, the new world will belong to the next generation- that means you."

The Grimm was already shaking her head. "I wont be leading them. You can still take Ruiss."

Fredrick opened his mouth. Closed it. Then, "So she hasn't told you yet."

Milena turned her full attention to him, noting his every move. Valian had done many things during Milena's life time, decisions that oftentimes rubbed the girl the wrong way but her mother had always promised her one thing; she would be completely honest with her daughter in everything. There was no secrets between them but by the way Fredrick studied her, Milena knew something was wrong. "Told me what?"

The man blinked then shook his head. "There's a better question I should be asking."

She was getting impatient. "Which is?"

"What do you exactly know about Vesania Grimm?"

Milena almost rolled her eyes. "We literally just went over this."

"Just tell me what you know Milena."

_Fine, I'll play along._ "They're stuff of nightmares. Most legends written across the centuries by wesen have been based on them. Vesania Grimm are little better than their wesen counterparts, slaughtering indiscriminately, amoral and should be steered clear of."

"That all?"

"No but everyone knows they're Grimms who have lost all control." _How can people not know? _Milena herself had never meet a Vesania but Valian had made it clear to stay far away from them.

"Lost control?"

"Given themselves entirely to their Grimm's base nature." Milena clarified, keeping her eyes on Fredrick's face. "They're monsters, uncontrollable fiends, the boogieman that reminds us to keep ourselves in check."

Fredrick blinked. "This is what Valian told you?"

"Yeah." Milena saw something flash across his face but it was gone before she could register it. "What's wrong?"

He hesitated, mulling something over in his head. Before he could speak, an alarm sounded from one of the rooms Silas was sleeping in. As they both heard the Grimm slowly wake up, Fredrick shook his head. "Never mind, we're both tired and we need our sleep."

He still had that puzzling look on his face, the one Milena didn't recognize. "Wait, what's wrong now?"

"I just need some sleep." He rubbed his eyes again before heading to the room he had chosen to unroll his sleeping bag in. "We'll talk more tomorrow Milena."

Silas stumbled from his room as Fredrick passed, shaking the sleep form his limbs. He gave Milena a nod before opening the back door and stepping out into the cool night. As tradition, after he finished his outside walk around and reported back, Milena could finally rest for the night. It was only a few hours until dawn, Ruiss and Brie having taken the first shift meant that Silas had taken the last. Which meant the resulting quiet of being the only person left conscious in the building weighed heavily on the girl as she slowly walked between the two pillars Fredrick had just minuted before.

_Mum might not lie to me but that doesn't mean she tells me the complete truth. _She heard the soft tread of her leather boots, the quiet breaths of her teammates as they dreamed. _But I can trust Mum. She promised. _Considering the life of a Grimm, Milena could count the people she trusted with her life with one hand and everyday that number was at risk for becoming smaller. _I just- _

She stopped, drawing her sword on instinct as the back door opened. A moment later she sheathed it as Silas gave her a silent wave, bidding her goodnight as he took her place.

_I don't even know what questions to ask. _Milena felt the small headache that had become an everyday occurrence throb slightly. She felt angry, frustrated and exhausted all at once, a combination that wouldn't do her any good. Ruiss slept peacefully in their shared room, breathing steady as Milena unstrapped her weaponry and rolled into her own sleeping bag. _Fredrick's right. _She felt her eyes close as Silas began humming a gentle tune that echoed in the concrete halls, resonating with her heartbeat as it slowed. _I just need some sleep._

**Just to give you some history, this fanfic was****originally set in Season 2 of Grimm, a fact that I will follow. So no Black Claw, Hexinbeast Juliette/Eve, ect (or at least not yet). I do plan to continue this Fic to it's completion, no matter how long it takes me. We'll see if Season Five of Sherlock is confirmed before I'm done.**


	14. Chapter15

Milena took a breath of morning air, blowing her dark brown hair from her face as she slowly detached her right leather gauntlet.

"You make it look painful." Ruiss called from a few feet away as she readjusted her own armor.

"Because it is." Milena shot back.

The French girl's responding smile was as gentle as broken glass. "At least you get a nice meal before you go to hell."

"I'd rather be hunting with you Ruiss." The girl removed the other gauntlet, flexing her hand as it came away. She hadn't taken off all her armor in months, well years if she really cared to count. Going on hunts without it was suicide so a Grimm's armor usually became like a second skin and taking it off felt like a betrayal.

"I'd rather eat at _Petite Provence._" Ruiss growled, slamming a knife into her sheath. "But at least I wont have to see the royal."

Milena hadn't forgotten how much most Grimms hated the Royals and while she herself didn't hate them on a personal level, Milena was wary of them. A couple centuries didn't erase the blood dept those people owed the Grimm they has enslaved. The girl felt her teeth grind together at the thought of having to work for them. _Fredrick's always been more of a dreamer. He might say that I have a choice but in reality, he's as powerless as I am._ "Lucky you," She let her chest piece hit the floor, quickly unstrapping her legs.

_This is wrong._ Fredrick shouldn't even be conversing with a royal, he shouldn't be taking her, he should have killed those kidnappers as soon as the team had captured them. Milena didn't like killing wesen but she wouldn't protect those who deserved a bullet through their skull.

Ruisseau smirked as the last of Milena's armor was safely packed away, lounging on the cement floor. "You really hate this don't you?"

"What gave you that impression?" The Grimm sighed back, changing into a fresh shirt. Even with clothing on, she had never felt so exposed. Even at five years old she had worn armor. Valian impressed that ideal deep into her, especially after Milena had been exposed as her daughter.

Ruiss nodded her head in a so-so direction. "A veriaty of clues presented themselves; mostly after Mr. Dorian announcing that we'd leave those bastards alive."

"That was his decision," Milena said, "I'll stand by it."

"You want to kill them as much as I do."

Milena felt herself blink, body poised, frozen in the act of smoothing down her shirt. Something shifted underneath her skin, a vicious pleasure that warmed her blood, quickened her breath. The though of those wesen, those monsters begging, whimpering for her to stop, bleeding for every child they had terrorized, every innocent face they had brutalized, begging, daring to beg-

The girl pushed the thought away. _I'm not a monster._

She met Ruiss' blue eyed stare evenly. "No I don't."

"It's bad enough that you lie to me Milena," the French girl scoffed "but don't lie to yourself."

"When I lie, you'll know." Patting down her shirt, Milena threw on a light jacket, the pistols sewn into the fabric a comforting weight against her rib cage.

"I already know. You lust after blood more than Lilith or even I do but you continually deny yourself the pleasure of a basic kill." Ruiss drew and sheathed her knife again. "Those we hunt are animals Milena, they don't deserve what they have destroyed from their victims- they deserve death."

"Sometimes I don't even think the people we hunt are monsters." Milena couldn't meet her cousin's gaze. She wouldn't be able to handle the shame.

Ruiss stood and Milena could almost feel the anger rolling off of her. "You call the _wesen,_" she spat the word like it was the most vile substance to ever grace her tongue, "that kidnapped and tortured you not monsters_. _You think the_ Wesen _kidnapped me and my sister, the same _wesen_ who ate my mother and father were not monsters?" Ruiss was never loud when she was angry. She was deliberate, every word packed with venom. "Every single one of those _things_ that we can see deserve to die Milena. Every. Single. One. Because if we allow them to live they will inflict what was done to us on others. And I will not let that happen."

Ruiss wretched her chest armor off, pushing up her shirt. Milena forced herself not to flinch as the angry red scar came into view. Three pronged, the scar ran diagonally across the entirety of the Grimm's stomach, ending just above her right hipbone. It had been a deep cut; Ruiss had almost died from the blood loss when they had finally managed to unchain her from the wall she'd been strapped too. Milena had never asked how it had come to be or why Lilith had a mirrored scar ripped into her back.

"I will not let this happen again Milena; not to anyone. I'll kill them all if I have to. No one will ever have to live through what I have."

"You've made your point Ruiss." Milena winced at her tone. She sounded like Valian.

"And you've _putain de_ missed it." Ruiss strapped her armor back into place. "I am tried of your self pity and moaning about your honor. We're Grimm Milena; hunters that kill the real monsters. It's time you understood that."

"I've understood that for a long time now." Milena stood and felt the Grimm shift underneath her skin at the action. She met Ruisseau's accusing stare evenly, refusing to back away even though every instinct screamed at her to hide from the girl in front of her.

Ruiss' responding smile was made fore war, a cruel cut across her pale skin. "Then prove it."

"Are you girl's ready to go?" Fredrick poked his head around the corner, pausing when he saw the two girls facing one another. "Is everything all right?"

"We're ready to go Mr. Dorian." Ruiss turned around, giving Fredrick a smile that would get her into the gates of heaven. "I was just telling Milena how jealous I was of her."

"Well you know I can't take everyone Ruisseau." He didn't look embarrassed, studying Milena's blank face in effort to find the truth.

The Grimm smiled at Ruiss, gently punching her cousin's shoulder. "I tried to talk him into taking you."

Brie stepped past Fredrick, unmoved by the smiling faces in front of her. "We're leaving shortly. Get your stuff and meet us outside."

She was gone before anyone could reply, Fredrick nodding to empty air. "See you two outside."

Milena dropped her smile and stalked out of the room, collecting her small knives to strap underneath her compound was empty, Fredrick, Brie and Silas' voices a murmur outside. It was still morning, the concrete walls retaining the night's previous chill and staving the heat away. Many bags and random boxes were arranged across the wall but the Grimm recognized her own luggage easily. While she could get away with concealed pistols, her normal saber would raise more than a few eyebrows. The girl gave a quiet sigh as she put it back into her long bag, carefully covering the blued steel.

"Milena," she looked back at Ruiss as the French Grimm strapped her own long hunting knives across her back from across the large main room,"if you have any problems remembering why we do this, just count your scars." At her cousin's confused expression, Ruiss released a sigh of her own. She crossed the distance between them in a heartbeat, hand tracing a thin line across Milena's cheek. "One."

In a single moment, Milena's own hand knocked Ruiss' away. It was instinct so deeply ingrained the girl hadn't even noticed herself move. No one touched, even bothered to ask about that mark. Amongst Grimm it was an unspoken but honored rule never to mention a scar or a mark. Only the barer could share the story. But if drawing attention to a mark was frown upon, touching one went against everything a Grimm was taught.

Silence stood between the two Grimm, thick enough to choke the breath from them. The French Grimm allowed her hand to drop, searching her cousin's face. She knew what she had done but Ruiss was not one to apologize and true to her nature, she left. Leaving Milena inside, Ruiss stepped across the thresh hold to the waiting cars, gone without another word. She didn't have to speak to prove her point.

_"Oh what pretty eyes you have little Grimm." _

Milena's heart thundered in her chest, hand reaching for her gun before the memory faded as quickly as it had begun. Her cheek throbbed with phantom pain, a cold shiver traveling up her spine immediately followed by a surge of unnecessary anger. Milena's hands clenched and she resisted the urge to bolt to her armor and throw it back on, dinner be damned. The more sensible part of her mind allowed her to stand still, strong but the part of her, the little five year old girl trapped by a monster in a dark, mold smelling room, wanted to run far far away from the hell she had been brought into. Yes, she knew of the monsters that crowded this world, knew their make and mark.

_It's been years. _She growled to herself bitterly. _It shouldn't matter anymore._ She cursed out loud a single time before stepping out after Ruiss, the compound's locks clicking behind her. Brie motioned for Milena to claim the middle seat in the back, a decision she didn't argue. Silas was already sprawled out on the other side, Ruiss having claimed the shotgun seat.

Fredrick either didn't notice or didn't care for his daughter's silence as they set out, pulling away with a smile as Ruiss struck up a conversation. Milena was silently grateful that Ruiss wanted to talk, leaving her to watch the compound dissapear once more. As she strapped the seat-belt across her chest, watched their safe territory slip away, she still could feel Ruiss' light touch dance across her cheek.

_One._


	15. Chapter 16

_**I feel obligated to warn you of the Torture scene in this chapter. It's not that gory but it's still there. Enjoy!**_

"What's your favorite type of food?"

With five Grimm piled into the car, Milena in between Silas and Brie while Fredrick and Ruiss rode in the front, Milena barely stifled a groan. Ruiss' amused smirk made Milena more irritated than Fredrick's barge of unnecessary questions. They had been on the road for a couple of hours now and throughout Fredrick had been running the only conversation, as one sided as it was. Everyone was more than a little irritated, the novelty of the 'getting to know you questions' having worn off within the first thirty minutes.

Milena rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palm. "Can we talk about something other than me?"

"No," Brie smiled "I always wanted to know what your favorite type of food is."

"Or what you favourite colour is." Silas muttered through his arm. The large man was sprawled across the seat, eyes covered by his bicep. Milena thought he had escaped through sleep but he had apparently been suffering with the rest of them.

"And the riveting response of your favorite animal." Ruiss chirped.

In the driver's seat, Fredrick had the decency to look embarrassed. "Okay, maybe I went a little overboard."

"I think we passed the 'overboard' stage in the first ten minutes." Silas said. "Perhaps we could listen to some music."

"With American artists?" Brie cocked her eyebrow. Both Brie and Silas were comfortable with one another, a feeling bred from the many missions they had worked as a team to accomplish.

Milena could see the smile that his arm hid from the others. "Perhaps you could ask more questions Fredrick."

"Or maybe you could tell us where we're headed." Ruiss' barbed question brought the others to attention.

Fredrick was silent for a moment before releasing a reluctant chuckle. "I suppose I should huh?"

"It would be appreciated, yes." Brie replied.

"We're heading to where Ficke and Renata are holding the kidnappers. Everyone should be regrouping after tonight back at the compound"

A thrill of energy shot through Milena at the thought of finally sinking her teeth into the kidnappers followed by a familiar rush of shame. She caught Silas's eye as he glanced at her before he shifted again, this time facing away from the younger Grimm.

_Okay, that was strange. _

"How many hours until we get there?" Brie asked, rubbing her arms as she readjusted herself on her seat.

"We've been driving for a couple so far but we're only about thirty minutes out. You still have a couple of minutes to rest."

"Not with Milena back here."

The girl blinked. "Wait why?"

Brie smiled slightly. "Well you know," her eyes caught Fredrick's in the rear view mirror and Milena could literally see the woman eat her words as she replied, "because your Dad keeps asking you question and keeps me awake."

Milena glanced sharply at her father but his eyes had returned to the road, Brie shifting so her head rested on the door as she shut her eyes. Another surge of unnecessary anger surged through the girl as she gritted her teeth, leaning back in her seat.

"Just try to sleep Milena." Fredrick finally met her eyes. "We'll be there soon."

_And you'll still dance around questions. _

X

Milena recognized the building well enough to know the type of monster it attracted. A medium sized one story building that had a total of two windows on the front side of the building- it was the type Milena instincts screamed at her to avoid. It was on the cusp of actually being in the city's district but far enough that the vague sense of abandonment it gave off wouldn't go amiss. But it was the pavement surrounding it- what used to be a parking lot if the remaining yellow and white lines were any indicator- that really gave Milena a sense of unease.

_There's no cover- either to sneak up or get away. There's not even a tree line. _Milena glanced around again as the car slowed to a stop. Fredrick had said something about being in a Valley and she had to admit to the bowl like feeling of the area. Mountains ringed the strange flat land surrounding them but the forest she had grown accustom to had faded away, leaving the area barren. There wasn't many trees which meant she was out of her element. Even in a city she would know how to react, how to disappear but in this strange flat land, her mind was blank. A familiar figured stepped from the front door, waving as they lowered their long gun.

_Renata. _Milena would know her anywhere. Before the car had even slowed, Ruiss was practically leaping from the car, tackling the dark skinned Grimm with enough force to send her stumbling back. Silas jerked awake in time to watch the two younger Grimms laugh through the window before he rubbed the heel of his palm on his face, muttering about lost sleep opportunity. Brie's hand lightly tapped his shoulder in a faux punch as she slipped out the door and Milena breathed a sigh of relief as she followed, hips cracking.

Both Ruiss and Renata were chattering in a confusing mixture of Swahilli and French that made Milena's head spin so she just hugged Renata, careful to avoid her particular clawed gloves, and stepped into the cool interior of the building. A distinct _reek_ made her immediately gag and hold her breath. She knew what death smelt like but this seemed almost worse. It smelled like the sludge you would find in a sewer- refuse that had rotted for weeks on end without anyone bothering to clean it up. Fredrick had a similar reaction as he stepped through the door and immediately stepped back out. Milena smirked as he came back in before she remembered what they were there for.

Fredrick squinted in the dim light provided by the two windows. "Chistuf?"

Milena knew the man well enough to recognize his shadow before he melted from a dim corner; the heavy two handed sword he held like Milena would a light saber not coming as a surprise. He nodded once to Milena before speaking to Fredrick, "Ficke ist mit den Männern in den anderen Raum. Er sucht weitere informationen."

Fredrick blinked. "I'm sorry?"

Both Milena and Christuf blinked. "Do you not know German Fredrick?" Milena almost couldn't bring herself to ask.

Her father laughed, rubbing his neck. "I took two years in high school but honestly I never had the opportunity to."

"Er versteht nicht." Milena sighed to Christuf and the man huffed a colorful phrase in German, leaning against the wall. The girl smiled before turning to Fredrick. "Christuf doesn't know any language besides German and funnily enough, he thought learning English wasn't that important either, so really you two have a lot in common." She pointed her finger to a door way a short distance away from where they stood. "Ficke's in that room interrogating the leaders for more information."

Fredrick blinked again, seeming surprised at her ease with translating before tilting his head to Christuf. "Thank him for me."

"He understands a nod Fredrick." Milena smiled again as Christuf uttered another oath before settling beside him to lean against the wall. Fredrick turned but Milena could see his ears redden as he walked away.

"You sure know how to make people uncomfortable." She spoke in accented German, nudging the large man beside her.

"Why should I change myself for the comfort of others?" He growled back, sheathing the broad sword as he scowled at Fredrick's retreating back.

"For ease of communication for one," The girl's smile dropped as Ruiss and Renata darted past them. _That can't bode well. _"and an advantage for another. You could ease drop on other people when they think you only know German."

"Everyone should just learn German." Christuf grunted back.

"That conversation wouldn't go well in America."

"Why?"

"Because Americans are still stuck with the image of German in World War two."

Milena pushed off the wall as Christuf uttered another oath stating what Americans should do with their image and odd orifices, smile dropping as she walked forward. The build wasn't a large one and she followed her cousins' loud voices easily down a small hallway. Behind her she heard Fredrick's voice as he joined Ficke in the makeshift interrogation room but ignored the noise.

Without Lilith, Ruisseau tended to be a little askew in her judgment and Milena had given Lilith her word that she'd at least try to keep Ruiss in line. The smell worsened the more she traveled but Milena pushed the instinct to back away and leave the building from her mind; she would adjust.

When both of the Grimm finally came into view, Milena drew herself up short. The narrow hallway gave way to a large room where Ficke and Renata had apparently decided to keep the kidnappers. Most of them were against the wall, makeshift gags and eye covers covered their faces, fastened extremely tight if the blood oozing from beneath them was an indicator. The gags had likely been made more for the Grimms' comfort more than functional use. There was no one for miles to hear their hostages scream. But what captured Milena's attention was the two people, a man and a woman, tied to the only two chairs she had spotted so far.

Their clothing was shorn, cut to ribbons, their skin matching the material only inches above it. Renata paced around them excitedly and Milena noticed the way her black leather armor glistened in the dim light of the building, the way her hair appeared almost moist in some areas, the way her artificial talons that over laid her human hands were already dyed and scrapping along the wood of the chair. Milena had seen this dance before and knew a show when she saw one and as she leaned against a pillar, Ruiss slowly drew her own knife from her belt.

One of the people tied to the chair, the woman, was weeping, sobbing into her gag as she tried to speak. Renata tisked at her, using her finger to toy with the gag. "Now, now you weren't crying before. Be like your friend and lighten up." The girl allowed her hand to slip, dragging the tip of her artificial talon across the woman's skin, opening a gash across her face. Milena looked away as the woman's muffled scream made the other kidnappers shift in their places against the wall.

When she looked back, Renata had resumed her slow stroll around both of them, glancing at Ruiss before she stepped away. Milena knew the motion. Ruiss playfully called this game Tag Team and Lilith rightfully called it torture.

As soon as the pale girl stepped forward, she stabbed the man beside the woman, sinking her blade hilt deep into his side. The wooden chair clattered against the floor and the woman shrieked as he writhed, eyes wide as he gave a single delayed scream. As quick as she had stepped forward, Ruiss stepped back, the movement not even taking a moment. She left the knife buried in his side, fingers already drawing another.

Renata stepped forward, tisking at the woman again, wagging a finger, the cold steel talons flashing in the light. _She's the only one I know that can make sounds sarcastic. _Milena reflected. The dark skinned Grimm dragged her own talons across the woman's arm, smile growing sickly as the woman shuddered, whimpering. "Oh I'm _so sorry._" She dug her claws into the meaty part of the woman's arm, not flinching as she screamed again. "Did we give you permission to make noise? You see my friend," the girl waved her bloodied palm at Ruiss as the pale Grimm made another slow circle around them. "She doesn't like people making that much noise so if you like your friend, you wont make a sound."

Milena felt bile rise in her throat as the woman whimpered, a sound that grew into a scream as the Grimm slowly began to carve a symbol deep into the tissue of her face.. Renata tisked again and drew her arm back.

Milena flinched as Renata punched the woman once.

Then again.

Again.

Milena pushed herself off the wall, breathing ragged, hearing the blood slowly drip from their skin to the floor. Renata paused, fist drawn back, red dripping off her artificial talons that overlapped her regular fingers. In front of the Grimm, the woman's head rolled on a boneless neck, her blond hair stained.

"Sorry-" Renata backed away a step, dipping her head. "I should have let you have first dibs."

Milena shuddered as a bolt of pure lust shot through her bones. She wanted to tear their flesh, rip tendons from bone, taste the marrow running underneath their delicate skin-

"Miles?" Ruiss was staring at her as well, the red crusting on her porcelain skin.

_Red so much red, seeping running, dripping, screaming, she was screaming, they were screaming, _"It's that God awful stench you know?" Milena forced the words out, focusing on Renata as a surge of need to main, to hurt, to join them flooded through her system. "Sorry- I just need air."

Renata blinked then shrugged. "Magda's outside if you need some company."

Milena mumbled a thank you before she forced herself away, each step a painful act that made her sick. She could fell Ruiss' eyes burn into her back as she retreated. Her cousin was less inclined to allow Milena to leave but as Renata made the man screamed, her attention shifted.

_When do you finally accept being a monster? _Her breathing didn't ease until she stepped outside a small door, but the stench followed. The air was still, stagnant as the rage that refused to vacate her system as she forced herself to take deep breaths.

_I'm not a monster. _She didn't even have to say it out loud to know it sounded like a lie.

"Hunts is that you?"

The Grimm kept her reaction in check enough not to jump as she recognized Magda's heavily accented voice. Renata's sister stood a few feet away, dual hunting blades she'd drawn immediately going to their sheaths as she crossed the small distance between them.

Milena forced a smile and accepted the hug. _She never calls me Hunts unless she knows to use code names. _Using code names or well known nicknames were only used when a nonperishable person was in the general vicinity. Ruiss and Renata could use their names along with Milena's in front of the kidnappers because they were not long for this world.

The Grimm returned the favor. "My lioness, it's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too." Magda drew back, pursing her lips. "But you seem a little pale; you getting sick?"

"No- it's that God awful smell- what is that by the way?"

Madga's already dark eyes dimmed a shade. "The wesen enjoyed keeping old trophies in that room. They- how you say" Her voice was as unyielding as steel. "they expired and wesen would get rid of bodies by feast. Leave spare parts for birds."

A certain type of knowledge could make a situation ease, muscles relax and stress just float away. But this type of information, especially when Milena was finding it hard enough to breath, didn't help. Milena felt a cold stone form in her stomach as she straightened. "What's the occasion for the nicknames?"

"Clawed," Her nickname for Renata, bestowed because of her gloves. "wanted a turn to play with them so I took guard." Magda started walking away from the building and Milena gratefully followed.

It was a small room, still technically attached to the main building but far enough away that whoever was inside would be able to ignore all but the loudest of screams from the main hall. Magda gestured with an open palm to the handle but Milena just shook her head. She didn't want to see the people inside when she didn't have a mask or another set of clothes she could change into; people didn't forget a face that rescued them.

"How many did you manage to get?"

"As many as they have taken from their last several hunts." Magda replied, smiling. "We came before they cut into first. Vary good- everyone living."

Milena breathed a sigh of relief, allowing herself to return her teammate's smile. _They did it; they weren't too late. _Milena knew that this group had been a large one, especially if they had caught Valian's attention on a different continent but the girl still worried that they hadn't caught all of them. _Which is why we waited. _A quiet murmur of voices rose behind the closed door and fell below Milena's hearing range. _Survivors, that's what people will call them. Survivors. _The rational part of her brain knew that she should be proud at the accomplishment but for some reason she felt empty.

"Have to go check them." Magda drew a mask over her face, waving Milena away. "They worried about monsters coming back and I tell them they are safe."

The Grimm walked away and, breathing finally calming to a manageable level, Milena walked back to the main hall in time to see Ruiss plunge yet another knife into the man, this time digging it straight into his eye socket. Renata held the woman's face, forcing her to watch as Ruiss meticulously drove her weapon home, millimeter by millimeter. It was possible to have an object stabbed into your eyes and not die, an art that Ruiss had perfected over the years through trial and error. The woman voice was muffled through her gag, her screeches giving way to panting, feavered babling as the man released a wet sounding scream that ended more as a choking sound.

_They left the spares for the birds. _The air was thick enough to choke on and Milena breathed in another deep breath. Both Ruiss and Renata looked up from their bloody game long enough to acknowledge her presence before turning back to their sport. The woman was caved into her chair, held upright only by the ropes binding her to it and Renata's clenched fist that was tangled into her blond locks. Ruiss had added six knives included one in each eye of the man whom whimpered, eyes rolling uselessly in their sockets, blood pooling in his lap.

Milena felt her fingers twitch and the insatiable ache pour through her limbs. _You know how to cause pain._ The familiar rage warmed the cold stone in her stomach, warmed her body for action, movement. _They deserve it. _They had created victims, they created survivors. They were the monsters. The Grimm felt Ruiss' and Renata's heart beat, felt their rage and savage joy at the thought of hurting those who had destroyed others, hurting those who had earned each knife they drove into their flesh. _They deserve more than that-_

Milena could cause pain, unspeakable agony that would make them beg for the sweet release of death, make them plead and blood- she could taste it- blood spreading over their skin, slipping between their-

The Grimm slammed herself into the pillar with enough force to make her shoulder scream. Before Ruiss and Renata looked at her again, she forced herself to walk away, ignoring their savage joy, ignoring the darkness rising beneath her own flesh calling her to go back, to join, to lead.

_I am no monster. _But it was getting harder, harder to control. Everything in her screamed for her feet to turn, to punish those responsible, to make them sorry, to make them fear the true monsters-

_I am no monster. _Yet even as she passed Christuf from where he still lounged in the shadow, she knew that people shouldn't fear monsters; they should fear those who killed the monsters.

Fredrick had manage to keep his clothing impeccably clean and Milena cursed herself for not using that as an excuse. She had to keep herself clean because she had dinner tonight- she couldn't partake in the blood sports. She almost returned Fredrick's smile before her eyes alighted on the other figure in the room and her hand immediately leaped to her hidden dagger.

Ficke did a double take before a huge easy smile spread across his blood spattered face. Milena dimly recognized the man strapped to the chair as the man she had been tracking, the one she'd nicknamed Rat. His already small body was dwarfed by the Grimm in front of him.

"Blue," Fredrick glanced at his daughter as Ficke called her nickname, pausing a second to smile at his young niece. "good to see you."

In response Milena didn't allow her hand to leave her weapon, staring daggers at the larger man. Fredrick frowned but turned his gaze back to Rat. "As we were discussing, are there any other members of your group?"

But the wesen's gaze had followed Ficke's and as his swollen, bloodshot eye alighted on the girl, they widened.

His voice was more of a rasp but based on Ficke's and Fredrick's surprise, it was the first time he had spoken. "That's Milena Lachel."

Milena felt her blood freeze, the world hurtling to a stop.

_He knows my name. _

**_I probably should warn you that updates will take longer due to school resuming but I'll so my best. We're finally getting to the meat of the story but I've been working on revising and editing the old chapters of this story so be prepared for some updates for those. Anyways, thank you for reading and for your comments (they really are helpful). _**

**_Translation for German; _**

Ficke ist mit den Männern in den anderen Raum - Ficke is with the men in the other room

Er sucht weitere informationen - He is investigating further information

Er versteht nicht - He does not understand


	16. Angry Fool

_He knows my name. _

His tiny swollen bloodshot eyes followed her every move, his body immobile but those eyes alighted upon her own with recognition, with her name on his split lips.

And all at once the world hurtled back into motion. Fredrick was yelling something to Ficke, his hand tightening around her arm in a vice like grip. It took a moment for Milena to realize that he was trying to get her out of the suddenly suffocating small room. It took another to realize she was fighting him, screaming something unintelligible at that _thing _restrained to the chair. That _thing _that called her by name.

Fredrick yelled at Christuf and the man understood enough to help him hold Milena as she bucked, clawing at his embrace.

_He knows my name, he knows my name_. The same name she tried to erase from existence, the same name she carved into the wood of her cabin before she knew better, the same name of that sad little girl who-

"Milena calm down."

_I don't want to calm down- I don't-_

If he knew her face well enough to recognize her, someone had told him something, someone was looking for her. After all these years someone was still looking for her; the little girl who got away, the girl who still had nightmares about-

She caught the hand just as it was about to hit her cheek, focusing all her attention on who it belong to. Christuf and Frdrick were panting but Milena was barely out of breath. After a moment she released Ruiss' palm and the French girl waited a moment before she said, "You can let go of her now", repeating the order on German for Christuf's benefit.

The two men gently eased the girl to the floor as she slid down the wall, Fredrick immediately stepping back even as Christuf waited by Milena's side should she choose to charge again. But the Grimm forced her eyes to stay on the ground, even as she heard her teammates attempt to communicate with her. Fredrick uttered a low oath, pacing in front of the others, boots slapping against the cold pavement.

"I just- I don't understand." He seemed more at a loss than Milena did. The he stopped walking, kneeling in front of Milena as he forced her to look him in the eye.

"Have you met this wesen before today?"

"No."

"Have you met him before this mission?"

"No."

"Do you know of any prior ways he could have gained contact with you?"

"No."

Silas shoved his way past Renata and Ruiss. "What the Hell is going on?"

Fredrick barely spared him a glance. "The wesen knows Milena's true name."

Milena didn't know Silas well but she doubted even his close friends saw his face obtain the pallor it did now. "Oh shit."

Normally it wouldn't matter if a dead wesen knew a Grimm's name before they died, in fact many knew a lot more than they had before they kicked the bucket than they did when they were actually living. It wouldn't have mattered if a lowlife like Rat knew Milena's name before he died. But that was what the problem was; a lowlife like Rat knew Milena's name _before _he had even been captured, recognizing her by her face alone.

A life of a Grimm was about ambiguity. The longer you stayed in the shadows, the longer you prolonged your life. Grimms like Valian and Fredrick were well known because they were Grimms that lived past their thirtieth birthday and had impressive track records. They wanted their name spread, feared by wesen. But a lowlife wesen knew of _Milena_.

Valian had kept her daughter as a coveted secret because everyone literally wanted a piece of a Grimm. Profit, revenge, blood, spells, Milena was valuable if someone could prove her existence. If anyone was to go looking for Lilith or Ruiss, they would meet multiple dead ends and even a few death certificates before they came anywhere close to the Fountine girls and by that time both Lilith and Ruiss would have been notified of the person searching for them. And yet a lowlife, the scum of the earth everyday kidnapper knew Milena's face well enough to identify her.

_Someone's looking for me_ a_nd their influence extends to America._

Fredrick was pacing again but Milena decided it was enough. She stood. Ruiss, Renata, Christuf, Silas and Brie all looked a little more than surprised.

"We have to interrogate him for more information." Milena reminded them quietly.

Fredrick waved another careless hand. "I assigned Fredrick to that."

The Grimm felt her eyes widened. "No that's not a good-"

A loud unmistakable sound of a pistol fired once in the office, effectively punctuating her late warning. Fredrick immediately rushed inside but Milena was slower to follow, the rest of the group on her heels. Ficke stood before the chair, what remained of Rat's inner hear spattered on the wall in front of him.

The large man simply shrugged at Fredrick's seething expression. "He wasn't going to tell us anything more."

"You're right Ficke, he can't anymore." Ruiss replied dryly, eyeing the wall.

The man's face twisted into something other than an easy smile. "You little-"

"Enough." Fredrick snapped. Milena had never actually seen Fredrick angry but with the incessant pacing, the frown, how he wrung his hands, came close. He turned to Brie, asking quickly. "Did any of the others tell you any more information?"

The woman's hands were already bloody but she shook her head in dis content. "No but I've had less than five minutes with them. I need more time."

"We don't have that much." Fredrick glanced to Ficke, what little remained of Rat. "And now since they heard a shot, they will assume the worst which means they have nothing to live for." His eyes snapped to Silas. "Find the weak ones and line them up. Kill the strong ones for them until they start talking."

The smile Silas gave him in return turned Milena's volatile stomach but she felt a grin rise her cheeks as well. _He knew my name. _She glanced back at Rat's body, the Grimm shifting beneath her skin at the violent justice. _He spoke my name name and paid the tithe. _

Fredrick noticed the subject of her attention and grasped her arm again, gently pulling her from the room. She ignored the tremor in his hands. "If you want you can watch but keep your clothes clean." The option gave her pause; had Valian been there, she wouldn't have had the choice, expected to be present and be appropriately enthusiastic. Normally she would jump at the opportunity to skip out on the bloodbath but now… now she had to know. This search for information was on her behalf, a small gift for Fredrick's daughter from the others, a method to couple the madness. The Grimms finally had a reason to torture their victims for one of their own.

Milena gave a tight nod, following her father down the hall again, hearing the silence being abandoned as chairs scrapped along the floor and people were moved. As her feet finally rounded the curve, Milena felt her attention immediately zero in on Brie.

The woman had a record of her own. Valian had personally trained her in the first few years she joined the woman's task teams. Brie was intuitive, blunt and observed more than the average Grimm did. Silas dragged the wesen before her, one by one and Brie quietly stared at them for a few seconds before sending them either left or right. Milena didn't know what she saw in their uncovered faces, didn't know what abilities allowed Brie to sort them into two groups but she knew the efficiency of allowing the woman to work. Brie had a talent few possessed, allowing her to pick those who would be weeping underneath a blade, what techniques to use and which ones would break if she applied the right pressure.

The Grimm had tried explaining it to Milena once, how to sense the false bravado most people let on, how she could tell by the way they stared at her, when they looked away, which punishment would be most effective. Milena never truly understood but she always wondered what Brie saw in her, what actions she would be forced to endure if Brie ever changed from her teammate to her opponent, wondered when she would break beneath the woman's blade. Those were the thoughts Milena didn't allow herself to dwell on, making a point to ignore the small voice that sent her eyes drifting over Silas, the voice that knew if she hurt Silas, Brie would feel it ten times more acutely.

In a few minutes, the group Brie had deemed the talkers were tied down, secured to a variety of mismatched chairs Magda and Ruiss had procured from a small closet somewhere in the building. Milena hardly noticed the horrendous smell she knew lingered throughout the building, instead registering that the scent of fear had spiked noticeably in the past few minutes. The Grimms lined in back of Brie, most settling to lean against the walls. Ruiss moved to stand next to Milena, her back easing to rest on the concrete surface as Renata exited the room, most likely to watch the survivors.

Brie allowed for a moment of silence to settle, breathing in the scent of piss and fear before she spoke to the mute room. "Who is guilty?"

After a moment of allowing the silence to once more cover the group, Brie let out a tired sigh. "Vary well, begin with that one." She gestured to a wesen they had placed within the talker group.

Magda and Silas immediately rose, grasping the thin man's body on either side as they hoisted him from the floor. The wesen's feet stumbled across the floor before his one good eye finally noticed where he was being dragged to. Ficke allowed a slow smile to spread across his lips when those eyes alighted upon him.

Face bleeding of all color as he looked to the Grimm in front of him, the vary large sword settled on his lap, the wesen finally started struggling, shoes finding no purchase on the smooth floor as he desperately tried to stop. Somewhere in between the moment of Silas and Magda kicking his knees, forcing him to kneel in front of Ficke and the giant man grasping the sword hilt, the wesen's voice finally shrieked "Wait- wait!"

Brie raised a hand and Ficke paused, sill holding his weapon at the ready. _Their acting skill have improved. _Milena felt a small glimmer of approval. _You can almost believe they didn't expect that wesen to speak out. _

The man on his knees was breathing erratically, working hard to hyperventilate. A balding head, slight stomach pouch, he could have been someone's father, a hard working man. But the fur spread across his face, the dulled claws extended from his fingernails revealed the Drang-Zorn hiding beneath human flesh.

"I'm innocent! You've got to believe-"

"I don't have to believe anything." Brie's voice was steady, calm. "You refused to speak up before and only do so now to prolong the inevitable." She waved a hand and Ficke raised his blade.

"Wait- wait" The man yelped, shaking voice filling the petrified silence. "I didn't even know about this until a week ago John-"

"Shut up Walter." Another wesen snarled from within the group.

"He made me do it- he's the one who told us what to do- who to grab, where their house was- please, please you got to believe me."

Brie pretended to consider his blubbered statement, watching the man who had spoken out in the group on the floor a tad more interest. "We will consider your plea Walter." The woman gave him a quiet smile as she waved Ruiss forward and the Drang-zorn slumped in relief. "You're going to be taken to another room and she's going to ask you questions about the others." Brie shot the girl a sharp glance and Milena read the silent order. _No weapons- words only. _

Ruiss gave a small, almost insignificant nod back, gently hauling the wesen to his feet. Milena didn't know how much longer he had bought himself when other wesen began to speak up in rapid succession, voices Brie ignored when she met the man's snarling face with a steady gaze.

"Is what Walter said true?"

_Lowen._ Milena recognized the short fur and the mane as the man snarled, "I wont tell you nothing Bitch, you might as well kill me now."

The Grimm tilted her head slightly to the left. "No, you wont." She waved Silas forward. "You'll be begging to tell me." The man immediately cut a path through the bound wesen, lifting the lowen to his feet with what looked to be a generous amount of ease. The countless voices immediately quieted when Magda placed a small table beside Brie, Silas disposing the struggling wesen into it. Once he had been properly secured, the man drew a set of almost curved blades from his belt, waiting for Brie's command.

"Our code calls for us to dispense justice." Brie stated out loud, turning her attention on the table and not the captivated crowd in front of her. Every word she said was for the benefit of them, working them in her careful way. "But what we do to those convicted is purely for the our own sake." A slow smile. "We are Grimm after all."

She gave a single nod to Silas and the man stepped forward, face stoic but eyes dancing as he cut through the thin shirt covering the man's lower torso. The silence that had settled over the small group was deafening and Brie waited, waited until the lowen finally let out a gasp as Silas' curved blade grazed the skin of his stomach, until the first groan permuted the air, before Brie finally pretended to realize the rest of the wesen group was watching them.

"Whomever Walter names will meet the same treatment unless they speak in their own defense." The lowen finally began screaming, Silas cracking a grin as he peeled a long strip of skin away, throwing it carelessly to the ground. Milena watched one of the wesen near the back of the room vomit even as her own stomach twisted at the small _plop_ the flesh made when connecting with the floor. Brie shook her head in dispare as the Lowen shrieked again, whimpering. "Really all you would have to do is talk to us. We are not unreasonable people. Claim your innocence, claim your right to walk away with the others."

Despite everything, the wesen seemed to band together, silently watching the lowen as Silas wiped the blood away from his finger tips, continuing to carve. More screams were soon to follow.

Another scream echoed through the building and Milena shot Brie a glance, seeing her own confusion mirrored back. _Ruiss wasn't suppose to harm him. _The Grimm forced herself not to flinch as another scream echoed through the building's walls, loud enough to make the wesen seated on the floor twitted and shrink. At the third, Christuf stood, the action seemed redundant as the sound broke off.

_People don't voluntarily scream like that. _Milena ignored the warm sense of pleasure she felt in her stomach, produced by the sound, and forced herself to hold onto caution. She loosened her pistol, the weight familiar, a comfort even when she wished for her hunting leathers. _Ruiss wasn't suppose to hurt him- something's wrong. Ruiss is many things but she's not stupid- she doesn't disobey orders. _

When Ruiss rounded the corner- her arms red up to her elbows, the carefully blank expression on her face- she took one look over the group of deathly silent wesen and fixated on one face.

Milena watched her stalk forward, ignoring Brie's warning glance, that careful expression replaced by an razor bladed grin. _This is wrong. _Milena didn't feel herself relax, even her Grimm loosing its edge as it perked an interest at Ruiss' stalk.

Brie had been placed in charge of getting information and unless everyone fell in line the illusion wouldn't work and it would take hours more to procure information, hours they didn't have if Fredrick was to make his dinner date. Milena had never seen the look that now flashed in her eyes, the deep expression set into her cheeks. With all her experience hunting with Ruiss, watching her kill, Milena felt at a loss.

_This is wrong. _Even her Grimm held itself with caution, recognizing another predator before watched as Ruiss stopped only a foot away from the wesen she had fixated on, breathing uneven, erratic. _This isn't right. _

Ruiss could make herself small, angelic enough to fool God himself into forgiving her and it was that voice she used when she purred. "Would you mind telling me who this is?"

The wesen, a Jägerbar, barely even glanced at the object Ruiss held in her hands, hidden from Milena's view. Despite the situation, the screams that had turned into whimpers as Silas worked, the smell of vomit and piss hanging heavily in the air, the wesen smiled at the girl in front of him. "I wouldn't know."

Ruiss had an easy smile on her lips but Milena felt her heartbeat increase, body unconsciously tense. "Then tell me," Ruiss ran a bloodied hand down the front of his shirt and Milena felt her gut twist. _No, no-_ "Who killed Casse Raison?"

A second after the name left her lips, Fredrick was moving forward, Brie had paled, Ficke and Magda frozen, Christuf understanding the name and connotation enough to watch the girl with caution. A millisecond, in the span it took Milena to even blink, Ruiss struck.

The Jägerbar didn't even have time to look at the blade sticking from his shoulder before Ruiss' hand tighten on where she had stroked his shirt, gripping the material with white knuckles as she dropped, dragging the wesen straight to the ground. Fredrick's voice rose over the clamor of terrified wesen desperately trying to crawl away from the angelic girl who dropped their college, her fists already bloody from beating them into his face, lips locked in a wild, bordering on deranged, snarl.

"Ruiss no-" Fredrick attempted to grab her as Brie rose to her feet, shouting for Silas, Ficke and Magda to control the clamoring wesen as they crawled away, to bring them back as the Jägerbar roared in pain. Milena couldn't desern if he had woged or if his features were just permanently altered by what Ruiss was doing to him.

"Ruiss-" Fredrick's voice cut off with a _humph_ of breath when a well placed kick sent him tumbling to the floor, winded.

Milena finally moved. In a moment, she was beside her cousin, Ruiss' white skin painted with gore. Recalling the countless nights Milena had woken to screaming, the countless more she had spent training with Ruiss, Milena pressed her fingers to the girl's neck, mimicking Lilith's movements.

For a moment, Ruiss went limp and that was all Milena needed to rip her away from the Jägerbar, her stomach almost relieving itself of its meal because _Oh God, his face, his face-_

A spatter of blood and a whimper was the only sign that _thing _was even living. Before she had even made it a few feet, Ruiss was alert and snarling once more, slamming her elbow into Milena, effectively driving the wind from her cousin but Milena didn't allow her grip to loosen as she kept Ruisseau on the ground, struggling to keep her immobile. Even before a minute had passed, Brie and Christuf entered her limited view and helped Milena contain the struggling screaming girl.

Somewhere in the general din of chaos, Milena heard Fredrick call. "Enough." He raised his voice, calling out again. "Enough!"

After a moment, the sound seemed to abate, even the wesen pausing. Milena hadn't seen Fredrick so… pissed. Holding his stomach, heaving in a vain attempt to take a full breath, he almost looked comical. The words that issued from his mouth were not.

"We've lost enough time. Magda, Renata, dispose of the spares. Ficke, make sure the proper authorities are allowed on the scene." He wheezed again, pointing a finger at Ruiss. "And you-"

"He was there." Ruiss spat back with equal venom. "He was there when my mother was killed."

Every Grimm in the room immediately stilled. When the Fontaine family had been brutally murdered, the case immediately went cold, even Valian couldn't track the killers. Any lead, any connection, any tidbit of information was to be coveted, preserved to the best of anyone's abilities. An entire family of Grimm, Ruiss and Lilith's family, had been executed; that action demanded retribution.

Fredrick's expression said he could care less.

_This wont go well for him. _Milena retained a tight hold on her cousin but the Grimm knew something drastic was going to happened. Fredrick didn't see Ruiss' outburst as a thing of passion as the others of the group knew it to be; he saw it as a blatant lack of control, a power play that challenged his place as the leader of the group. Ruiss had defied a direct order, she had unsettled him. He didn't know her well enough to know that this had never happened before; all he knew was that someone had stepped out of line. _And such outbursts deserve punishment. _

"You defied a direct order Ruisseau." Fredrick drew a gun hidden in his jacket, cocking it. "That doesn't fly on my hunts."

"His blood is mine." Ruiss snarled back, renewing her uphill struggle against Brie Christuf and Milena. "I claim his as my own."

Milena shivered at the words, noting that the other had paused in their actions, focusing on Fredrick. _A blood claim._ A Grimm could claim a hunt as their own for a variety of things but usually it wasn't for a fortunate reason. No one could touch the hunt except for the one who had claimed their life. Milena had been young when she had witnessed one. Another Grimm had taken a blood claim against a wesen who had spited him in the past. She still remembered the screams that echoed through the camp days after. The punishments of a blood claim were as promised; _Blood for blood, bone for bone, a life for a life. _

A hunt belonged to whomever had claimed it. Ruiss invoked a long held tradition dating centuries past, proving that she hadn't acted against Fredrick's wishes just for the hell of it. This matter went beyond petty; it was personal.

Fredrick shook his head, lifted his gun and ended the Jägerbar's life with a single bullet to the forehead. He tucked his gun away in his jacket, oblivious to the fact that every Grimm in the room had stopped, eyes riveted on the bleeding body. Ruiss was the only one he noticed. She had stopped struggling, staring aghast at the lifeless body in front of her, her normally pale face ashen.

Fredrick stooped down to her level, forcing their eyes to meet. "Don't cross me again."

Milena blinked at her father. Blinked again at the dead body. _That was the only connection she's ever found to her mother. Five years and suddenly she has a lead. _Milena stared at Ruiss, watching the girl's eyes slowly go from shell-shocked to burning, staring deep into Fredrick's own, matching the venom packed into her curling lip. The tentative respect Fredrick had inspired in the French girl evaporated, dying with the breath of her only hope to absolution.

"If you weren't Valian's lover I would take your life as forfeit." Ruisseau breathed, shoving the other stunned Grimms off of her as their slacking limbs allowed her to rise.

Fredrick crossed his arms across his chest, huffing. "Whom I sleep with has nothing to do with this. I am in charge-"

"You violated a blood claim." Renata sounded like she couldn't fathom what had just happened, a sentiment Milena mirrored.

"That isn't a real thing." But Fredrick was beginning to notice that the other Grimms weren't obeying his orders, instead watching Ruiss intently as she stalked forward, standing over the body Fredrick had taken from her. The body that had been taken from her

"Valian will pay for your mistake." Ruiss spoke in a quiet, light voice as she nudged the body, her hope of finding justice cooling with the dead wesen before her.

Milena felt herself loosen. _She could have shot him and no one would have touched a hair on her head. Even if she decided to come back with us, mum couldn't even touch her if she wanted to get revenge. _

Fredrick shook his head. "Do I have to tell you all to do your jobs? We've lost enough time. Magda, Renata, kill them." He gestured to the wesen bound on the floor.. "Ficke, call the police and give them the location- no names. Christuf, check the survivors- make sure we didn't miss any wesen in the bundle. If we did, bring them out."

"No."

Fredrick froze, spinning on a heel as he looked at the German man, a glare Christuf responded to by only shrugging. Before Fredrick could blow a gasket, Milena quietly explained "Christuf can't see."

The Grimm rocked back, eyes on Milena. "What?"

"Christuf is no Grimm." Brie clarified. "He does not have the sight."

Fredrick blinked again before sighing in frustration, lifting his hand to roughly rub his nose. "Okay- Silas, check the survivors. I want this done quickly."


End file.
